Lost in Santa Carla
by Plainsong30
Summary: "The Lost Boys" had always been one of Daphne's favorite films. But when she suddenly finds herself in Santa Carla, deep within the Lost Boys' cave, her involvement changes everything about the classic cult film. Michael/OC
1. Into the Cave

As soon as we handed our tickets to the usher, Shannon grabbed my hand and yanked me through the blackened doorway. I yelped out loud and felt my heart hammering in my chest as we were swallowed by darkness.

"This is gunna be awesome!" Shannon whispered to me. I felt her arm curl into the crook of my own arm. "I love haunted houses!"

I wish I could say the feeling's mutual, but to be perfectly honest, spooky haunted houses at amusement parks weren't exactly my thing. Firstly, because I had heard that this haunted house in particular was genuinely scary. Secondly… I don't like the dark. It's the truth.

"Shannon, if you let go of me, I swear to God, I'm gunna piss my pants or something," I said as it began to get darker and darker. We were now creeping down a winding staircase that had fake cobwebs covering it. Ghoulish lights and screams were coming down from below us.

"Chill, Daphne," she said soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

I glanced at her one last time to see a smile on her face, then at that point, it was too hard to make out the rest of her. We reached the bottom of the stairs and came across a long, dark corridor. Candles stood on either side of the hallway, and the lights flickered and fog wafted along the floor.

As we started down the hall, a sudden figure appeared before us - a guy dressed up in a nasty zombie costume, his face littered with gore. He stood directly in our path.

"Um… excuse me," I said, my voice barely audible as I tried desperately not to come in contact with him. A zombie? Really? Why couldn't it have been Paul from _The Lost Boys_ or something?

He stared at us with a death glare from hell, and obviously he was just doing his job. And I must say, he was doing it damn well!

Shannon and I pushed past him quickly and started to come around the corner. There were bars on the wall here, leading to some sort of jailed area where monsters screamed in agony and reached out to grab us. I squealed out loud. I hated this!

"C'mon, Daph!" Shannon urged as she dragged me down the hallway. The monsters banged on the walls and growled behind the jailed cells.

I suddenly realized that Shannon's grip on my arm was loosening, and to my horror, I felt her break free from me. She practically raced down the next hallway and I sprinted after her. I miraculously dodged a random hand that appeared out of the wall and turned the corner to find - oh, God - two different ways to go. I could either go left or right, and to my terror, I couldn't see Shannon in either direction.

"Shannon?"

I was answered by a sudden growl that was coming from above. Trying to ignore it, I decided to go left and crept down the hallway, leaning against the wall for support. The growling from above wouldn't stop.

It seemed like it was beginning to get darker than it already had been - and it was already _really_ dark! Oh, God, please let this end… where is the light?

Suddenly the walls seemed to become slightly cracked and warped, and began transforming into stone as I continued down the hall. Where was I headed? The dungeons or something? It looked as if strobe lights were blinking ahead of me, and more fog wrapped around my ankles. I reached forward, as if blind, barely able to see where I was going…

And the noise stopped and the strobe lights stopped. I couldn't hear anymore banging, or growling, or whatever else that had previously been occurring. But now it was pitch black - I couldn't see a thing. And the silence that mixed with that darkness turned my nerves on fire. I was so scared that I suddenly broke out into a panicked sprint, and by the time I thought I had reached the end of the corridor, I suddenly tripped hard.

I tried to catch myself, but I ended up crashing into something and felt myself do a full summersault on the floor… and then the lights came back.

I was staring up at a cave-like ceiling. Streamers and different colors decorated the cave. When I sat up, I was staring at a place I seemed to recognize… but how? I had never been in this haunted house before. I knew from the looks of it that I was in a cave. In the center was a warped and empty looking fountain that contained no water. The place was messy and full of junk, but had the most exotic appeal to it.

Was this really apart of the haunted house? Because it didn't seem all that scary.

I pulled myself to my feet, realizing that my knees were killing me. I brushed the dirt from my ripped skinny jeans and adjusted my black and white plaid button down which had twisted around my stomach from the fall. I yanked my brown hair back into a messy bun, and started down a crevice of rocks.

When I met with the ground floor, a noise that wasn't my own rang out on the other side of the cave.

Was it just one of the guys who worked at the haunted house? Which direction was I suppose to go now?

I bit down on my lip and felt a draft through the cave. I thought I could hear waves crashing in the distance… where was I?

It was at this point that I was beginning to feel unsure of myself. This didn't look like it was part of the haunted house… it looked completely different. I glanced behind myself to see the source of where I had entered the cave, but only realized that I didn't even recognize where it was.

"What the hell?" I asked out loud.

It was then that a voice answered me. "What are you doing here?"

I looked up to see a tall figure that towered above me. He stood atop a few rocks that were in the upper corner of the cave. A black trench coat followed him as he took the rocks down easily and practically glided over them. His platinum blond hair was cut in a mullet shape, his black leather gloves grasping one another as his piercing gaze fell on me.

Wait a minute… he looked a lot like-

"What's this?" a voice cried so loudly that I jumped out of my skin.

A second guy who looked around the same age as the first appeared beside me. He had long, messy blond hair, and was quite the punk, like he'd be a member of Guns 'n Roses. A long black jacket grazed a pair of white jeans and biker boots. He ran his fingers over his black mesh top as he stared at me with a look of interest.

"Uh… uh…" I couldn't speak. These guys didn't look like they worked at the amusement park. "Which way am I suppose to go?"

"This little lady sounds as high as the sky," the blond beside me teased. "She doesn't even know where she is!" He started laughing as he came closer towards me.

While the crazy looking blond chuckled, a third person appeared. This person was tall and brooding, with dark hair and piercing eyes. My heart was beginning to pound in my throat as he stared at me with a nasty grin…

"L-Let's all just take it easy," I murmured, my tone nervous.

"She's scared," the platinum-blond-mullet-guy explained.

My eyes widened. How'd he know I was scared? And why did all these guys look so goddamn familiar?

"Marko! C'mere!" the blond explained.

A fourth guy who I assumed to be named Marko appeared, his curly blond hair trailing behind him as he adjusted the multicolored jacket he had on. "I'm coming," he explained, his eyes landing on me. A sultry smile played on his lips as he stared at me and joined the rest of the guys.

"What the hell's going on?" I asked, my voice cracking as I took a few steps backward…

"Is this our meal for tonight?" the blond with the mesh top beside me asked. To my horror he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and shrugged me close to him. "That heartbeat of yours is going insane. And you're looking pretty tasty, babe."

"Get your hands off me," I said as I wrenched myself free from his grasp.

"Ooo, feisty are we?" he said again. "I always like the feisty ones…"

I stared at his face, his features suddenly blowing through my mind. "I know you!" I cried, pointing a shaking finger in his direction. He pushed my finger away and grabbed me by the waist, bringing me close to him.

"Let's stop talking and get right to the chase," he said as one of his hands grasped the back of my neck.

I tried to push him away, but he was too strong. I felt my heart racing and my mind blowing in my skull as he leaned over me, his face coming in contact with my neck.

"Wait! STOP!" I screamed as I yanked myself free from him. "You're Paul!"

It was then that everything came in place… oh, God! Wait a minute… no, it couldn't be! I stared at each of the boys. "You're Marko!" I cried, pointing to the guy with the curly blond hair. "And Dwayne!" I said, a surprised look coming across the face of the dark haired guy. "And you're David!"

David stared at me quizzically. The four of them exchanged confused glances - all the while my stomach did summersaults.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing… I mean, I loved that movie to death, but how in the hell was it real? How were they standing before me, flesh and blood… trying to freakin' drink my own blood?

"Y-you're the… _Lost Boys_!" I practically screamed, my voice echoing in the cave.

Holy shit, what was _happening_?

**I love reviews, so I'd be so glad to hear what you think! - Plainsong30**


	2. 411 with the Lost Boys

I was standing with my knees about ready to give out underneath me, pointing a shaking finger from one guy to the next.

The four Lost Boys still stood before me, exchanging confused glances as they all turned back to stare at me.

"Oh, God… Jesus…" I muttered as I brought a shaking hand to my forehead.

"How the hell do you know who we are?" Dwayne asked me, his tone almost angry as he started towards me. Since when does Dwayne talk?

I nearly pissed my pants as I skittered across the cave floor. "I… I…"

"I say we kill her," Marko barked menacingly as he cracked his knuckles. 

"K-k-kill?" I repeated as I choked on my tongue. "Uh, uh… let's not take it that far, guys."

"Well hang on a second," David explained. He finished his walk down the mess of rocks and neared me, a quizzical expression on his face. "Let's just figure out how this girl knows so much about us…"

He started to circle around me, an intimidating look on his face as he brought his nose inches from my neck - I could tell he was taking a whiff of me.

"What are you waiting for then?" David asked me, his tone sinister. "Explain yourself."

"Well… uh… you see," I started. _Yeah, well, you guys are make-believe, ya know? Because, you're, like, vampires… DUH. I saw you in a movie when I was like ten-years-old, and I've been watching it ever since. And I don't know how I got here now, but yeah, whatever… so don't eat me, man, 'cause I'm on your side, ya know?_

Yeah, because that really sounded like one hell of a story.

"I know… erm…" I dug my foot into the ground as I clenched at my plaid shirt. My hands were sweating like crazy.

"She's a friend of mine," a voice interrupted.

I looked up to see a startling beautiful girl near us, her curly ringlets of dark hair flowing as she walked. A gypsy like skirt trailed after her as the bracelets around her wrists jangled - she put a supportive arm around me in a sisterly-like manner.

"St-Star!" I cried, star-struck.

"You told her about us?" David asked through gritted teeth.

"All I told her was your names, and what you looked like," Star explained matter-of-factly.

Now, hang on just one second… I had never met Star before in my life…

What the hell is going on?

David suddenly looked relieved. "Oh… well, welcome to the club… I didn't catch your name." He eyed me with interest.

"I'm Daphne," I stuttered as I glanced sideways at Star, who didn't give anything away.

"Hey Daph," Paul drawled as he began to strut towards us. I felt my cheeks glow crimson at his flirtatious moves.

"Aren't you guys gunna head out soon?" Star asked them suddenly. She still had an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Yeah, we're heading up to the Boardwalk," David explained. "Aren't you coming, Star?"

"I thought I'd go off with Daphne," Star replied. "We wanted to have a girls' night out."

David didn't look convinced. "C'mon, Star. We always go to the Boardwalk together. Like a family…"

My ears perked up at the word "family," since I was already familiar with what they all were and what they were capable of. The beach scene in the movie where the boys ripped their victims to shreds suddenly flickered through my mind. I glanced at Marko quickly to find a vicious leer on his face. I looked away, my heart skipping a beat.

"I'll go only if Daphne can come with," Star explained.

David glanced over at me, a cocky grin forming on his face. "Fine by me," he said with a curl of his lips. "You can ride with one of the guys, Daph."

"The only available ones are Marko and I," Paul exclaimed in a sultry tone as he sauntered towards me. "David's got Star and Dwayne's got Laddie."

"She's gunna choose me, man," Marko explained as he started after Paul, grabbing him in a headlock from behind.

Star let go of me while I watched Paul and Marko with my mouth slightly ajar. They must've wrestled with each other for five minutes straight - Paul wriggled out of Marko's grasp and turned towards him, diving like a bull into his stomach as the two began rolling around on the ground.

Dwayne, Star, David, and a little guy who I assumed was Laddie, were already filing out of the cave.

Paul and Marko still rolled over each other like two toddler brothers.

Rolling my eyes, I started to follow the rest of the group out of the cave. To my horror, there was a rather rocky entrance that I had to climb up in order to make my way out of the cave. Grunting and trying to keep my footing, I started up it awkwardly.

By the time I nearly made it to the top, I slipped and felt myself falling backwards, completely loosing my footing. I let out a scream as dead air flowed behind me, but suddenly I came crashing into a pair of sturdy, stone-like arms. I grabbed the neck of my savior instinctually and kicked my legs out under me.

"Saved your life!" Marko cried jokingly as he grasped me in his arms.

"Th-thanks!" I replied, slightly relieved, but still fearful since I knew what they were capable of. I quickly wriggled out of his arms as I finished my way up the cave entrance.

"You know, I think I deserve a reward for saving your life," Marko explained as he and Paul followed me out of the cave.

"Uh, you do?" I answered, my eyes now focused on the scene before me.

We had just left the cave and faced a nighttime scene of the Pacific ocean. A glowing half moon had risen over the horizon, its reflection dancing over the speckled waves. I had never been to the ocean before… and here I was.

What, really, is _here_?

"Yeah! You've got a favor to return, Daph!" Paul cried as he slapped me on the back.

"What favor?" I asked, completely off track with what we were talking about.

"How 'bout a kiss, Daph?" Marko asked me.

I jerked my head towards him, only to find Marko's fingers already clutching my chin as he brought his face close to mine.

"No way! Slow down, man!" I cried as I ducked away from his face just in time. "You don't just make a move on a girl like that."

"That's not how it works in my book," he said as he grinned at me disturbingly.

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I ducked under a chain linked sign with the words _NO TRESPASSING_ and started up a wooden staircase.

"I didn't even know you had a book, man!" Paul rasped with a laugh as we climbed the staircase.

"Hell yeah, dude! Why wouldn't I have a book?"

"You guys make no sense…" I said as I shook my head, dumbfounded at what the hell was happening.

And then it suddenly occurred to me as if I had just been struck by lightning - I, Daphne Jameson, had almost been kissed by Marko, one of the effing vampires from the movie _The Lost Boys_. What was wrong with this picture?

"Hey, uh, guys," I mumbled as we climbed the steps. "Have you ever met anybody else like me?"

"Watchya mean?" Paul answered. "You mean, somebody as high as yourself?"

"I'm not high, man!" I barked in defense. "I don't do drugs."

"Ooo, don't get so defensive, Daph!" Marko hooted as we made it to the top of the wooden staircase. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Right, Paul?"

Paul just snorted. "Right!"

"I'm serious though," I snapped. "Has anybody weird like me ever appeared in your cave before? Kind of… looks different and stuff?"

"You don't look different," Paul explained as he poked me in the nose.

I was taken aback by his finger coming in contact with my nose, and I brushed it off quickly. "Well, thanks, Paul," I said, slightly touched by his comment. Paul, one of the freakin' Lost Boys, said that I didn't look different… oh my God.

At the top of the cliff, I noticed a set of bikes waiting for us - Dwayne and David already had their motorcycles revved up with Laddie and Star sitting behind them. Paul and Marko practically skipped towards their bikes like energized toddlers on crack, and before I knew it, Marko had already hooked his arm with mine.

"You're riding with me, Daphne," Marko commanded with a mischievous grin.

"Dude, you rhymed!" Paul pointed out as he pulled himself onto his own bike.

Both Paul and Marko snickered at each other.

What the hell? I thought these two were murderous raving vampires, and now they're cracking rhyming jokes?

I couldn't help but laugh. "Ha, you guys are sill-aaaay!" I hooted as I climbed onto Marko's bike behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist almost grudgingly as I realized what I had to do.

"You better hang on tight," Marko warned me, "you got it sis-tah?"

"Yeah, bro," I laughed.

"We're not so bad, are we, Daphne?" David asked me as he glanced back at us.

I looked towards him to see Star also staring at me - how was it that she already knew me?

"Nah, you guys are pretty cool," I replied with a cheeky grin.

"Woo man! That's what I like to hear!" I heard Paul cry.

At that point, all of the guys were yelling and guffawing, their heads tilted back as if they were howling to the moon. Then we were off, and a rush of air pulled through my hair as Marko jerked the bike forward. We were taking off into the darkness and being swallowed up in a thicket of trees. Dwayne and David were riding ahead with Laddie and Star. I glanced back to see Paul was close behind us. I could make out a determined expression on his face as he stuck his tongue out at me.

I turned forward again and rested my chin into Marko's shoulder.

The forest seemed to disappear, and soon we were racing along a sandy beach. Bystanders leapt out of our way as we raced past a huge, glowing bonfire. I couldn't help but feel a gleeful grin spread across my face while my heart jolted in my chest. This was the best ride of my life.

_I'm sorry if I took a while to update! I'd love to hear what you think so far! Thank you to those of you who left reviews and added this to your Story Alerts! I appreciate it! - Plainsong30_


	3. Messing With Love

The Boardwalk was coming into view at this point - its carousels were glowing and its rollercoasters sent off rivulets of colors. I felt my mouth hang open as I took it all in. This was only a place that I could see in the film, but here I was, witnessing it before my very eyes. It could've been any other amusement park, but this was different… this was the goddamn Boardwalk from the freakin' Lost Boys movie. Holy shit, man…

I practically lost my grip on Marko, only I felt him yank my arm tighter around his waist before I realized what I was doing.

"You crazy?" I heard him shout over the roar of the engine. I just smiled at the back of his head. Aww, Marko…

When we came in contact with the Boardwalk, they parked the bikes, and I finally loosened my grip around Marko's waist.

"You almost fell off earlier," he said to me with a manic grin as I climbed off. I placed my hands on my hips as he followed.

"Not ah," I protested. "I was fine."

"I told you to keep a decent grip on me," he explained, his nose in the air as he started away.

"Yeah, that's what she said," I mocked with a chuckle. That's when I remembered that this was the '80s - did that joke even exist right now? I thought _Wayne's World_ invented that joke. And that movie came out in the '90s. I got my answer when Marko turned to glance at me with a puzzled expression on his face. "Uh…" I mumbled. "Never-mind." I had to remind myself what decade I was in before I began spouting off all kinds of things.

"You coming with, Star?" I overheard David ask. I glanced over to see Star trailing behind David with Laddie at her side. Laddie stared at me inquisitively - I just gave him a friendly smile. He was a little cutie!

"No, I think I'll meet up with you guys later," Star explained. She turned to me. "You wanna come with, Daphne?"

"Uh… sure!" I said, happy to oblige to anybody's requests at this point. Hell, I'd probably do anything for these people whom I had loved in a movie that I had seen too many freakin' times.

She smiled at me and I followed her and Laddie in a direction opposite to the rest of the pack. I turned back to see Marko waggle his fingers at me in a goodbye motion, while Paul attempted to jump on a nearby picnic table to make his goodbye more memorable.

I waved at the two of them, their sudden vampire faces of yellow eyes, jutted foreheads, and piercing fangs floating in front of my eyes. My face fell suddenly as the memory entered my mind - had I really forgotten that I had been hanging out with blood-sucking murderers?

I turned away quickly and caught up with Star. I felt more comfortable around her, obviously. She wasn't a fan of killing people, so I knew I'd be safe.

"Um, Star?" I said as I caught up with her in a jog. "You mind if I ask you something?"

"Not unless you answer my questions first," she retorted. Suddenly her tone almost seemed icy. She turned to glare at me angrily. "What were you doing down in the cave?"

"Th-the cave?" I murmured, not at all familiar with this angry Star. "I… I…"

"They might've…" I suddenly saw fear flash before her eyes as she trailed off. "You're lucky I was there and decided to say that you were a friend of mine."

"Wait, what?" I asked her in surprise. "I thought you knew me!" After having said that, I realized how ridiculous and stupid that statement sounded. Why had Star acted like she had known me?

"What are you talking about?" she asked me, a look of confusion crossing her face. "You're as much of a stranger to me as I am to you."

"I am?" I inquired. "You mean we haven't met before this?"

"No…" she replied, glancing over at me with a strange look on her face. She probably thought I was crazy or something. "I just pretended to know you when we were back in the cave, so that they wouldn't…"

The way she trailed off again put me on edge. So… they really _were_ going to kill me?

"They would've killed me?" I finished quietly.

She glanced up at me, and I was shocked to see her eyes widen with terror. "And how did you know who they were?" she asked me. "How'd you already know their names? And _my_ name?"

"Listen, Star…" I started. "I… this might sound a bit odd, but I know more than I'm letting on."

She gave me another flabbergasted look as she clutched to Laddie - he looked just as mystified as the two of us.

I suddenly stopped myself after I had said that - was it a good idea to be telling Star all the information that I knew? Would it somehow ruin the plot of things, the way it was all suppose to turn out in the end? Would my interference somehow mess up this amazing, comedic horror movie that I had loved since the day I saw it?

"Never-mind," I said quickly, turning away and breaking out into a fast pace. We were approaching a large mass of people, the sound of drums and guitars breaking through my panicked state-of-mind.

Star caught up with me eventually as we began pushing through the crowd together. To my relief she didn't question me about what I had said earlier.

"Well, we're not strangers anymore, are we?" she asked me, her tone a bit more friendly.

I glanced at her to see a smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back. "I guess not."

We continued walking together, and I almost wanted to break out in a merry jig to show how happy I was being friends with Star, the girl from _The Lost Boys_.

Soon we stopped walking and stared at the scene before us.

I remember this scene!

A sweaty, beefy looking guy with long hair was singing on stage, a saxophone in his hands as the crowd went crazy. Bodies rocked with the music as heads started head-banging nonstop. Nearby garbage cans were flowing with fire as the crowd went nuts in an upheaval of howling and cheering as the sweaty guy on stage took a puff and blew madly into the saxophone.

Hell yeah! It didn't matter if this beefy guy was nasty looking or not, this was a kick-ass place to be!

All of a sudden I was dancing with Star, the two of us laughing as we waved our hair to the music - it was as if the intense conversation that we had been having earlier were gone. Now we were lost in a dream with exotic music and screaming voices that filled my eardrums.

At this point I got Laddie to start dancing, and I spun him in a playful circle. It was when I looked up that I made direct eye contact with a familiar face.

My heart nearly jolted and fell to the pit of my stomach when I recognized Michael. He was staring in my direction. I glanced over at Star to see that he was looking at her. She was staring back at him, an expressionless look on her face. Sam, Michael's younger brother, was standing beside him as he tried to get Michael to look away from Star. I laughed at this sight, even though I had seen it dozens of times in the movie.

I couldn't help but also stare back at Michael - he was handsome, tall, and lithe looking, far better than staring through a television screen. There he was… he was right there, flesh and blood! His curly locks of dark hair flashed in the firelight - then Star was off like a bullet.

Laddie was on her heels as she called for me to follow, and I turned obediently. I took one last glance in Michael's direction to see he was following.

I thought I'd piss my pants. It was as if it was just the beginning of the damn movie! Michael had just seen Star at the concert, and now he was chasing after her! Oh my God! I'm seriously going to piss myself…

Once we made it out of the crowd I managed to catch up with Star, practically out of breath.

"Did you see that guy, Star?" I asked her with a cheeky smile. "He was checking you _out_, girl! Did ya see him?"

Star just smiled at me with a romantic look on her face. "Yeah, I saw him…"

"Well go talk to him!" I continued to rant. "He's clearly interested! He'd probably get a kick if you went up and talked to him!"

I looked back to see that he was following us. Holy crap holy crap holy crap!

"He's right there!" I cried as I turned back to her. "You should do it, Star! I'll be your wing-woman, I'm telling ya! I'll bet you a million bucks he's interested in you-"

"Hey." I suddenly felt a soft hand on my arm and turned towards the source of the familiar face.

I was shocked to see I was staring into Michael's eyes, of all people. I felt a grin spread across my lips as I was about to turn towards Star to introduce the two, but suddenly realized something horrible.

Michael was staring at me and _only_ me. Why? I had no effing idea. But by the time it all registered to my brain, I couldn't speak.

"What's your name?" he asked me quickly.

What the hell? What the hell was going on? I glanced over at Star to see her slightly flustered as she ran a hand through her hair. She glanced at me in the blink of an eye.

Oh, shit.

"Uh…" was all I murmured as I glanced from Star to Michael. "This is Star," I stuttered as I grabbed Star's arm and pulled her into Michael's vision. Maybe if he saw her face one more time, then the sparks would explode.

"Hey," was all Michael said to Star. Star smiled shyly, then to my horror, Michael turned back to me. "What's _your_ name?"

What? What was happening? My mouth hung open as I tried to speak again, but only realized that Star was walking away in sadness…

"I'm Michael," he said as he ran a hand through his hair.

I was choking on my own tongue as I tried to speak. This wasn't happening… this couldn't be happening… Michael was suppose to have his eyes set on Star. Not me, man! What the hell? What's going on?

I bit on my lip as I tried to hold in all the panic that was exploding inside of me. It wasn't suppose to be like this… this wasn't suppose to be happening.

I was barely two hours into the alternate dimension of the _Lost Boys_ and I was already ruining everything.

_Sorry for the late update again! Thanks for all your reviews and story alerts again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's still more to come! I can't write without you guys! :D - Plainsong30_


	4. A Little Hawaiian Punch

"Uh… I have to go," I stuttered as I increased my pace and pulled away from Michael. My mind was exploding. This couldn't be happening… "Star! Wait up!" To my terror she ignored me. I heard Michael calling out to me from behind once again.

"Wait, I don't know your name!" he said as he tried to catch up to me.

I shoved past the people on the Boardwalk and caught up with Star. "Star, why aren't you waiting for me?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Star didn't even answer me. No, no, please don't let this happen…

I felt a slight splinter of hope as I saw the Lost Boys all sitting at their bikes, waiting for us. Star silently went up to David and climbed behind him.

"Star, will you just talk to me?" I asked her again. She didn't answer.

"What's wrong?" inquired David, noticing the tension between us.

I stared at Star once more, only she seemed to act like I didn't exist. "Nothing," I mumbled as I neared Paul and Marko. Laddie was already sitting behind Dwayne.

"Hey, Daphne," I heard Paul say. "You're riding with me this time!"

"What?" Marko snapped. "Not ah, she's riding with me."

"Dude, she already rode with you," Paul shot.

I didn't even react to their fight. If I were in a good mood, I would've been squealing with delight to know that Paul and Marko were fighting over me. But now that Star was angry at me, and for some reason Michael was set on me instead of Star, I wasn't all that happy.

"Whatever," I mumbled as I climbed on the back of Paul's bike. I didn't look at either of their faces.

"Hey, what's wrong with Daph?" Marko asked me. He punched me lightly in the arm. I glanced up across the Boardwalk and saw Michael gazing at me with a glowering expression.

"Nothing, let's just get outta here," I said softly. Marko followed my gaze and looked up to see Michael.

"He do something to you?" Marko growled.

"What? No. Can we please just go?" I asked them. I hooked my arms around Paul's waist, as if indicating for him to start the bike.

"Whoa, somebody's a lil eager," Paul joked as he patted my hands. I didn't even twitch a muscle. If I had been in a normal mood I would've screamed and melted like ice cream.

Paul took off, and I dared myself to make one last glance in Michael's direction. He was still staring.

What the hell, man? What was going on? This wasn't suppose to be happening! Michael was suppose to be mesmerized by Star, who is nearly ten times as gorgeous as me. I was like average. No, less than average. To have Michael staring after me was, indeed, very effing flattering. But at the same time, it didn't work.

I peeked around Paul's shoulder to catch Star stealing a glance at us. The fog and the darkness made it hard to make out her face though.

At this point, Paul was howling over the wind. I wished I could have as much fun as he was a this point. Damn you, Michael!

We made it back to Hudson's Bluff within a few minutes, and I still wasn't unfazed from the previous events. When I climbed off Paul's bike, I noticed he wasn't following.

"We're probably gunna ride around a bit more," Paul told me with a wink.

"Well, can't I come with?" I asked innocently.

Paul opened his mouth to speak, but turned towards David, as if looking for assistance.

"It's more of a guys-only thing, know what I'm saying?" David laughed.

"Oh…" I murmured as I noticed Star and Laddie heading down the wooden staircase again. "I see."

"We'll be back in no time," Marko explained. "Faster than you know it, Daph."

"No, I don't mind," I said as I forced a laugh. It didn't take me long to realize what is was that they'd be up to that night. They _were _vampires. "Adios, then."

Paul gave me one last leer as the four of them drove off into the wind. Their headlights soon disappeared into the fog, and I was left in the cold. I shivered, knowing what they were up to. Just as long as they didn't kill me… or maybe, if I died, would I wake up from this bizarre dream?

"Star?" I called into the dark. I stumbled towards the edge of the cliff and found the familiar wooden staircase.

I was almost nervous to talk to Star all alone. Oh, God… there was already girl drama. I had finally escaped from my own pathetic excuse for a life where girls backstabbed and bitched and boys had only one thing on their minds… well, Santa Carla wasn't all that different I suppose.

But still! I'm only a few hours into this strange, alternate Lost Boys dimension and there's already annoying girl drama! I _hate_ drama!

I practically dragged my feet down the wooden staircase and tripped down the rocky cave entrance. Laddie was half-way asleep on a cushiony couch; Star was already curled up in a canopy bed with transparent curtains wrapped around it. She couldn't already be sleeping, could she?

I cleared my throat uneasily. "Um, Star, can I talk to you?" I neared the bed and pulled the curtains back. "About… that boy?"

"What's there to talk about?" Star asked softly. She didn't look at me as she played with a strand of her dark, ringlet hair.

"I know you like him," I said to her. I bit down on my lip - she was probably wondering why I was making such a big effing deal out of all of this. Because it was _Michael Emerson_!

"So? I don't even know the guy."

"I know, but… I just have this odd feeling, ya know? That you two should be together… I know that sounds weird, but-"

"Just leave it alone, Daphne," she said heatedly. "I'm tired."

I could tell she wasn't just _tired_. She was upset that Michael had barely noticed her - which I still am very confused by - because she really liked Michael. It was practically love at first sight!

Aggh, why did I have to ruin everything?

"Well, uh…" I stuttered, wondering what to say. "If you wanna talk about anything, I'm just letting you know that I'm here. If there's anything you don't wanna bring up to any of the guys, you can come to me, ya know? I'm… I'm here for you, alright?"

That had to be the dumbest, cheesiest, most cliché thing I've ever said in my life.

I was surprised, though, when she turned towards me and gave me a soft smile. "Okay," she said quietly as she burrowed her head into her pillows.

"Okay!" I cried genially.

"Are you gunna go home then?" Star asked me - she wasn't trying to be rude. I think she was honestly curious.

"Erm… I don't think so," I told her.

"Why not?"

_Well, because I don't have a home. It's back in my world, the real world, the alternate dimension…_

"Well, I… I just can't go home," I told her. It was a white-lie - I _was_ telling the truth.

"You're welcome to stay here," she told me warmly. "Grab anywhere to crash. The guys won't mind. People come and go all the time, but…" She suddenly turned as white as a ghost. "Um, I mean… never-mind."

"Oh, alright, well… goodnight," I said awkwardly as I pulled myself out from behind her curtains and let them fall back around her.

I shivered in my lone plaid shirt and neared a dusty looking couch. I cringed as I laid down in it, since nowhere else looked as comfortable, and stared up at the withered ceiling of the cave.

Maybe this is all a dream… maybe I'll wake up and find myself back in the haunted house or something.

I shut my eyes as I thought about it. Nah, this is too fun… maybe I should just enjoy the ride…

"Hey, Daphne?"

I felt somebody shaking my arm annoyingly. I shifted in my bed, burying my head under my arms.

"Go away, Danny," I snapped angrily at my younger brother.

"Danny, who's Danny?"

I felt my eyes snap open and my heart jerked in my chest. I sat up as fast as I could and nearly bonked heads with an unfamiliar blond.

"I, I thought…" I mumbled, still half awake as I found Marko sitting beside me. I hadn't even recognized him at first. "I forgot I was here. I thought I was home."

"Oh, well, you want me to take you home?" Marko asked me.

I pulled myself in a sitting position beside Marko, yawning. "Nah, that's alright." I stole a sideways glance at him, wondering why the hell he was being so nice.

"You thirsty?" he asked me.

I was still almost falling back asleep. "Yeah, I am," I said, realizing that my throat was slightly parched.

He handed me a glass of what looked to be Hawaiian punch.

"Yummy," I murmured with a soft smile, assuming that it _was_ Hawaiian punch. I took a sip and gulped it down. It tasted… strange…

"That's not Hawaiian punch," I slurred uncomfortably.

Wait one fucking second…

"I never said it was Hawaiian punch," Marko chuckled.

I gulped the last bit of it in my mouth - it actually tasted really good, like sweet, burning wine mixed with exotic whiskey. It melted down my throat and emptied into my stomach. I could feel my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

"Want some more?" he asked me. He suddenly pulled out a bejeweled bottled and poured more of the red liquid into my cup.

My hands were shaking. I dropped the cup. Blood splattered all over my legs and the couch.

"Whoa, take it easy," laughed Marko. "That's rare stuff."

"Rare stuff?" I choked. I stood up, practically doubling over as I clutched my stomach. "No… no, no, no…"

"What's the matter?" Marko asked me, placing a hand on my shoulder. His voice was almost teasing. "A little blood won't hurt you."

_Here's the fourth chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as the first three, haha! Again, thank you so much for your reviews and support, and to those of you who added this to your story alerts! If you guys like it so far I'm really glad! Let me know what you think so far! :D - Plainsong30_


	5. David's News

"You… you… _you_!" was all I could cry as I slowly brought myself to my feet, crushing the plastic cup in my outraged hand. "I can't believe you!"

"Huh?" Marko replied, staring at me in bewilderment. "I was just kidding, Daph. Chill out-"

"Don't tell me to chill out!" I growled.

That was when my brain suddenly felt foggy for a few seconds, and I slowly staggered forward, catching myself.

"I know exactly what that was…" I told him, my heart beating rapidly.

I looked up to see he was only smiling, his grin implying something only more monstrous.

"It was Hawaiian punch, Daph!" he laughed, slapping me on the back. "Like you said!"

"No… it wasn't," I snapped. "That didn't taste like any Hawaiian punch I've ever drank."

"It was spiked, hon! Besides, you honestly think I would give you blood?" he chuckled. "What kind of sick person do you think I am?"

I stared up at him, gave him a you're-kidding-me-right look, and then quickly walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from here! My God, I've only spent one night here and you're already giving me… Hawaiian punch!" I scoffed.

"It's cold outside, Daph. You can't walk home."

"Well, I'm not really on my own anymore, am I? Now that you've given me Hawaiian punch…"

"Let me at least take you home," he started as he followed me out of the cave.

"I don't need any more of your help," I told him. "I'm fine on my own."

He stared at me with narrowed eyes, then he quickly neared an arrangement of junk and picked up a black, leather jacket. He shook it out, then handed it to me. "At least wear that," Marko exclaimed, handing it to me. "I'm telling you… it's cold out."

I took it from him gently, sighing. "Thanks," I murmured as I yanked it on. "Bye."

"Daphne?" he called after me, just as I made it to the top of the rocky entrance. I almost fell over backward as I turned back to him. "I'll be seeing you later." Then he winked, another toothy grin spreading across his lips.

"In your dreams, Marco Polo," I growled as I finished my way up the rocky entrance and ducked under the chain-linked sign. He chuckled one last time.

The breeze blew my hair back behind my shoulders, and I shrugged deep into the slightly too-big leather jacket. When that chilly air met my skin, I was actually glad that Marko had given it to me.

I shivered slightly, but it was a shiver that was all to strange. It felt like it shook all the blood in my insides in a strange fashion… huh.

The wooden steps were barely audible as I stepped on them, the only sound being the crashing waves as a spray of water met with my face.

This was the most bizarre situation I had ever been in in my life. Somehow, someway, I was in Santa Carla, among the Lost Boys, drinking blood. Did that mean… did that mean I was a half-vampire now? Could I really potentially become a full-fledged vampire, like the frickin' Lost Boys.

Oh, my God. Holy shit. No way in hell… that was not _possible_…

"Where are you off to?"

I jumped at the deep voice that greeted me at the top of the stairs. David's platinum blond hair shone in the light from the nearby lighthouse, the smoke from his cigarette blowing away in a mess.

"Home," I answered quickly. "I'm going home."

"Need a ride?" he asked, a small smirk forming on his face. It was almost too hard to make out in the dark.

"Nope… I'm fine," I insisted as I pushed past him.

"I see you've tried our wine," he suddenly stated.

I froze where I was and turned towards him. "What wine?"

"Marko must've given you a sip, hmm?" he asked.

"How'd you know I had wine?" I questioned. Really, how did he _know_? The thing was, I already knew the answer to my own question.

He took another puff of his cigarette, took a step closer to me, and blew the smoke in my face. "You know what it means when you drink my wine, Daphne?"

I stared at him, entranced by his icy blue eyes and pale complexion. I could've kissed him from the distance we were apart.

"What?" I replied, my tone nervous.

"You're one of us now," he answered. He said it so calmly you'd have thought he had told me he was European or something.

I just nodded. "Huh…"

"We'll be seeing you soon, alright?" he told me, starting down the wooden staircase as he flicked his cigarette away.

"Hey, don't do that!" I argued. "Some bird's gunna try and eat that cigarette butt and then choke on it."

David turned back to me, another stern gaze that caused my blood to freeze. "Have you ever killed anything, Daph?"

"K-killed?" I mumbled, wringing my hands together. "Like… like duck hunting or something?"

"Yeah… duck hunting."

"Uh… no. I mean, I once fried a beetle with a sparkler. Does that count?"

He just stared at me like I was the stupidest person on the planet. "You're gunna have lots of fun with us," he said, continuing his way down the staircase.

I knew exactly what he was implying, and that only made me extremely anxious. "You mean we're going duck hunting?" I called after him, trying to provide myself with my own bit of comic relief.

David didn't answer me. I turned away and pulled the leather jacket around my frozen arms. This was California for God's sake! Where the hell was the humidity?

My arms crossed and my head bowed down, I started down the gravel dirt road that led who knows where, which was right next to the woods that contained who knows what.

And then it dawned on me as I started walking… where the hell was I going? I had nowhere to go. The only place to really stay was in the sunken hotel lobby cave-like thing where the Lost Boys were.

I was pretty sure that the current year was 1987. That meant that my parents would be getting married in about two years… my parents weren't even married yet!

Even being in this alternate-dimension where the Lost Boys were actually real, did that mean that my parents existed in this place too? Only were they across the country, in their late-twenties and probably just meeting each other for the first time?

The gravel road eventually ended and went into a paved road that started into the woods. I was starting to feel really uneasy at this point. I relieved myself that I was already a half-vampire, and if something tried to attack me, then I could get all vamped out and defend myself… that is, if I didn't kill whatever it was in the process, be it a bear or a drunk psychopath. Then I'd become a full vampire for sure.

That was when the roar of an engine cut into my ears, and I turned to see a single beaming headlight flooding my vision. Shielding my eyes, I watched as the unsuspecting bike pulled forward beside me, and nearly fainted to see who it was…

"Michael!" I exclaimed in shook.

He gave me a faint crooked grin. "You remembered my name?"

"Uhh…" I mumbled, wondering if I should involve myself with him or not. "Y-yeah, I guess."

"Are you gunna tell me your name now?"

I bit down on my lip, wondering if it were a good idea. "I'm Daphne," I answered, shrugging into the leather jacket.

"Where are you off to?" he asked. "It's late… not safe for someone like you to be walking all alone."

I wanted to snort out loud. "I'm fine," I mumbled. "Just a little cold, is all."

"You need a ride somewhere?"

I glanced up and down the paved road. "Erm… I don't know. Uh, I mean… I'm not really sure where I'm going."

That made him laugh, which surprised me. I was funny all of a sudden?

"Well, I could give you a ride home if you wanted."

"Uh… I'm not going home. I'm going to the Boardwalk."

"The Boardwalk's closed…"

"Oh, well… w-where were you going?" I said, my skin shivering.

"To be honest… nowhere. I'm new here, so I was just driving around," he explained, leaning back on his bike as he killed the engine. "Just getting a feel of things."

"Yeah, I'm not really familiar with this place either."

He smiled shyly. "You wanna come with me then?"

"Hmm?" I replied, too shocked to hear what he was asking me. Michael, from the _Lost Boys_, was really interested in me?

"Come with me," he implied.

"Uh…" I dug my foot in the dirt.

"Unless you don't want to," he said, grasping the handlebars as he prepared himself to leave.

"N-no!" I suddenly protested, the words escaping my mouth before I had time to think. I didn't not want to hang out with Michael, but I had already messed things up so badly for him and Star… but he _wanted_ to hang out with me.

"I mean… yeah, I'll come with you," I said with a nod.

I saw a smile form on his lips, his face glowing in the moonlight. "Alright."

I neared him and climbed onto the back of the bike, slightly grudgingly, but at the same time in eagerness. "Where are we going?" I asked curiously as I hugged his back. I could feel my cheeks already burning.

"You wanna see a cool place?" he asked me.

My blood was already pumping in my system. "Sure."

"Hang on."

He kicked the engine on and let go of the clutch, and soon we were racing through the dark, the ocean crashing beside us. I wondered the whole time if I was doing the right thing at all.

_I hoped you liked that chapter all right! Actually, I'd like to hear what you guys think of Michael and Daphne! Just curious. I'm not really sure if I'm going to actually pair her with anybody now! Just little crushes, but mainly friendships... unless something else comes up! Let me know what you think so far! - Plainsong30_


	6. Race to Hudson's Bluff

It was even colder on the bike. I brought myself closer to Michael's back than I dared, only because I was cold… _yes_, only because I was cold. Not because Michael is in fact very attractive…

He took several turns and whisked around corners. Eventually we stopped at a secluded beach that glowed in the moonlight. The black colored water stretched across the beach and engulfed boulders of rock and petrified wood.

The beach gave off an aura of calmness and safeness. My shoes dug into the sand as I clung to myself, the chilly breeze of saltwater brushing my skin.

"This place is nice," I explained as I took in the view. The ocean was never-ending.

"That's what I thought," he said. "Are you new to Santa Carla, too?"

"Yeah… you could say that," I told him. I realized that I had to at least act like I knew nothing about him. "Are you new here, too?"

"Yeah, my mom and brother and I moved in with my grandpa."

"Where're you from?"

"Phoenix."

"Whoa, that's far," I replied, trying to sound surprised.

A silence fell upon us that wasn't exactly awkward, but seemed to mix well with the beach that he had brought me to. If you were with anybody on that beach, all you would need was their presence… conversation didn't really matter.

"Shouldn't you be hanging out with your friends?"

"What friends?" I asked in surprise, startled by his question. "Oh, you mean… well… we kind of argued, is all."

"Oh, I see… break-up?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "No!" I said, shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my hair. "We were just friends arguing over… stupid stuff." Like Hawaiian punch.

He just nodded as we continued staring off into the ocean. I felt myself become more and more comfortable as I stood there by his side. "What about you? Why aren't you with your friends?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just moved here, didn't I? I don't have any friends…"

I suddenly felt bad. "That's not true!" I bit on my lip as he laughed, and I couldn't think of any other way to make him feel better. "You've met me, haven't you?"

"So we're friends then?"

"Of course," I answered. I wondered if he could see the smile on my face.

A sudden feeling of guilt swarmed into my stomach when I thought about Star. She should be in my place right now; this was all wrong. My interference was screwing everything up about the _Lost Boys_.

But the feeling in my chest was unexplainable. It wasn't like Star had to have Michael all to herself…

What was I saying? I was a foreign character who did not belong in this story! Michael and Star were destined to be together, and here I was, pushing them apart! No matter how much I wanted it, Michael's love wasn't mine to take…

But… nobody said we couldn't be friends.

"Hey Daphne," he started. I turned to him, wondering what he would say next. "Would you wanna go get something to eat?"

I was surprised by the question. Hadn't we made it clear that we were friends? But, friends did go out to eat together.

"Well… I mean-"

I was suddenly cut-off by the roar of an engine, it's single headlight beaming down at us as a bike crashed through the sand. I backed away in alarm, Michael standing in front of me like a protective bodyguard.

I couldn't make out the face of who it was on the bike in the darkness, but suddenly saw the flash of blond hair.

"David?" I squeaked in surprise.

"Where'd you run off to?" he asked calmly. He glanced over at Michael, an expressionless look lingering on his face. "Who's your friend?"

"Michael, this is David," I introduced after a long silence. I didn't know what to do at that point.

"And what were you two up to?" questioned David.

"That's… none of your business," I answered calmly. Why was he being so nosy? "Michael and I were gunna grab something to eat," I told David. Huh… funny… this almost reminded me of a scene from the movie.

"C'mon, Daph," Michael murmured to me. I turned towards Michael to join him on his bike.

"Daphne," David implied. He suddenly revved the bike forward, separating Michael and I.

"What are you _doing_?" I choked, nearly petrified from how close he had come to running me over.

David was staring at me, a look that was almost close to a death glare from hell. "Get on the bike, Daphne." His voice was soft, but contained the most dangerous, icy edge. I was on the back of his bike quicker than you could blink. I glanced over at Michael to see a look of defeat on his face. "You know Hudson's Bluff overlooking the point?" David asked him.

I was gawking at the back of David's head, deja-vu crashing through like no other.

Michael just shook his head. "I can't beat your bike."

"You don't have to beat me, Michael. You just have to try and keep up," he told him.

That was when David took off without even waiting for Michael. He was howling to the cool wind that shook my hair and rushed past my ears. I glanced behind myself to see Michael's bike headlight not far behind.

I clung to David tighter than normal. He was going faster than what was comfortable, and eventually he dove off the paved road and into the woods.

We were galloping over hills and turns that caused my stomach to churn. I felt all that blood that I had drank before rushing to my head. I couldn't hold in a scream when the bike jerked down a steep hill. I was surprised to feel David pat my hand on his stomach comfortingly.

I glanced behind again to see that Michael had gotten closer to us. He was now pulling up beside David's bike, the woods clearing as an emptiness shone before us…

Michael was increasing speed beside us, neck-and-neck, and I already knew what was happening.

I could see the edge of the cliff just ahead of us. The light from the lighthouse was beaming on us through the fog and the wind.

"C'mon, Michael!" David urged. David only increased the speed of the bike. I clung to him for dear life, staring in terror at both him and Michael, feeling like I was in a scene of _Rebel Without a Cause_.

Michael glanced at us, then back at the end of the cliff. It was coming closer…

Then he suddenly lost control and came to a halt that caused him to pull off on his side. I was screaming at David to stop, and the bike tire made way with the edge of the cliff and came to a hard stop.

My heart was racing in my chest. That was the worse adrenaline rush I'd ever had in my life.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" I heard Michael scream. He was on David before I had time to think, his fist crashing with the side of his face.

Before I knew it, he had yanked David off the bike, me screaming like an idiot as he held him by the shirt collar.

"No, Michael! Stop!" I cried, wondering what else to do.

Michael seemed to listen to me, though his attention was still focused on David.

David only chuckled mysteriously. "How far are you willing to go, Michael?"

I stood there, my eyes traveling back-and-forth from David to Michael, as if I were viewing some horrifying tennis match. This was the most bizarre thing I had ever witnessed - it was like watching the movie right before my eyes. I couldn't believe it… what other weird shit would happen next?

Ohoho… a _lot_ more.

_I think I've decided who I'm going to pair her with! But you'll just have to read-on and see who it is! ;) I'll try and update soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's lots more to come! I'm so glad to hear all your comments, and I thank you for your support! Stay tuned! :) - Plainsong30_


	7. Heart Attacks

"Feeding time, boys! Come and get it!" Marko hooted.

My mind was spinning. It was like I was watching the movie all over again, only I was sitting in between Laddie and Dwayne like we were brother and sister.

"Chinese?" I murmured, more to myself than to Dwayne, or Laddie for that matter.

"Only the best," Dwayne answered with a cheeky grin.

My cheeks turned beat-red as he handed me a carton of rice and chopsticks. Laddie was already digging away at a fortune cookie.

My stomach turned when I stared at the rice… they wouldn't turn into maggots, would they?

"Don't you like rice?" Dwayne asked me curiously.

"I… of course I do," I answered softly, starting to sift through the rice with the chopsticks.

I glanced across the room at Michael, who was starting to eat at his own carton of food. Our eyes met and locked for barely a second, but I broke away and glanced over at Star. She was standing nearby, a shawl draped around her shoulders as she gave me a look of mixed feelings. I only looked away in guilt.

"Hey Daphne," David called. I glanced up at him, rice in my mouth. "How's the food?"

I swallowed my rice whole, practically coughing. "Never better," I answered dryly.

"Really?" he questioned. "I never knew that maggots were that good."

My heart skipped a beat… oh, Lord. No, no, _no_…

"Wh-what?" I asked in alarm, not even wanting to glance down at my carton anymore. It was only an illusion, but it was hard to convince myself that…

"You're eating maggots," David emphasized. "How do they taste?"

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "No… I'm eating rice," I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head.

"No, Daphne…"

"Yes, David…"

"No."

"Yes!"

I opened my eyes to see David glaring at me. The entire cave had fallen silent. He leaned back in his chair and stared over at Michael, who was eyeing us back and forth. Paul was practically on the edge of his seat, his mouth halfway open as a couple of noodles dangled from his lip. He slurped them up once I made eye contact with him, adding a wink as he continued chewing.

I didn't dare look at the rice again. I quickly kicked it under the couch we sat on. Dwayne laughed beside me.

"How about you, Michael?" David asked him. "How're those maggots?"

Michael stared as if he'd misunderstood. "What?"

"Maggots, Michael. You're eating maggots. How do they taste?"

Michael only smiled, as if David were joking, then glanced at his carton and practically doubled over. The carton dropped to the floor, what looked to be maggots spilling everywhere. Michael started spitting out the rice as all the boys hooted with laughter.

"Leave him alone," Star ordered sternly.

The cave fell silent once again as David apologized.

It was then that David had Marko approach him, and he whispered into Marko's ear. Marko just nodded, and walked away.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat. It was now or never… should I try and save Michael's life? If he becomes a half-vampire, then that means… WAIT A SECOND! 

Max! Max had completely disappeared from my mind like a slippery little minx. In the film, Michael didn't know that Max was the head vampire until the end of the movie.

But I sure as hell knew!

A giggle suddenly escaped my lips, and Paul glanced over at me, a smile spreading on his face. "I knew you were crazy!" he cackled, pointing a finger at me. "Random little giggler…"

The plan was already forming in my head as I watched Marko hand David the bottle of blood-wine…

"Hey, how's that Hawaiian punch, David?" I hooted as David took a sip of the blood-wine. He glanced over at me in annoyance while he tried to savor the taste, then turned to Michael. "Drink some of this, Michael… be one of us."

"It's only Hawaiian punch, Michael," I said, turning towards Marko. "Right, Marko?"

Marko shifted where he stood uncomfortably. He glanced over at David, who was giving him a what-the-hell-is-she-talking-about look.

Now everybody was exchanging confused glances. "I wouldn't bother drinking it," I told Michael, shaking my head. "It's like… expired Hawaiian punch."

"Alright, you," Dwayne laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and used his hand to cover my mouth. I writhed in his arms, but he was strong enough to hold me still.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Michael protested as he stood up.

"Just a sip, Michael," David told him, extending the bottle.

Star suddenly approached Michael from behind, me giving up in trying to break free from Dwayne's strong grasp. I could feel his breath against my hair as he held me closer to him. My heart had already been galloping at an astonishing speed - now it was about ready to explode.

"Easy, Daph," Dwayne cooed into my ear.

For some reason I listened to him as I began to relax and watched Michael helplessly as he sniffed the bottle.

"Michael! Michael! Michael!"

"Michael, don't," Star whispered beside him. He glanced over at her in surprise. "It's blood."

He gave her a look of disbelief as he shook his head with a chuckle. "Yeah… sure."

Then he took a huge sip, tossing his head back, his eyes shut with satisfaction as he savored the wine.

Dwayne let go of me as he and Paul climbed to their feet, hooting and cheering and high-fiving one another like kids.

Michael kept drinking the wine. Paul, Marko, and Dwayne were dancing all over the place. David was only smiling a peculiar grin that gave shivers up my spine. And Star and Laddie disappeared from it all.

The sound of seagulls and ocean waves caused my eyes to open. I expected to find myself in my own bed in my own home, but nearly had a heart attack when I saw the cave-like structures. Forgetting where I was, I rolled off the couch and landed in a heap on the floor, my hand landing in an assortment of broken glass.

"Fucking… HELL!" I roared in pain as I clutched at my hand. Biting on my lip in pain, I stared at my hand to see a piece of glass poking out from my palm. "What the hell is this?" I murmured to myself, still only half-awake. I reached out and yanked out the piece of glass. It was probably the most painful thing I'd ever experienced.

Blood was everywhere. My eyes were widening at the mess I was making, and I quickly grabbed a random piece of abandoned fabric, wrapping it around the wound.

Sitting with my legs crossed, I tied the fabric and look around - the place was empty. The only two people present were Star and Laddie, but they were both sleeping. Daylight filled the cave and made it look less spooky than it had at night.

Stretching my back out and ignoring the stinging in my hand, I tried to recuperate myself and questioned why I was still there… when would I finally get back home?

Would I ever go home?

This was madness. This was insane…

A plan had formulated in my head the night before, when I was trying to get to sleep. Michael and the rest of the guys had left - they had all denied my request to come with. By the time they were gone, I realized that they were probably heading for the bridge… Michael had flown home last night.

Glancing back at Star and Laddie one more time, I left the cave, and was greeted by the setting sun as I climbed up the cliff. The sky was filled with a churning, vastness of clouds. They melted in creamy ice cream colors and the sun dipped towards the horizon - there was only about another hour of daylight left. Then the boys would be out again.

I would go the Boardwalk. I would find that comic book shop, and meet - hell to the yes - Edgar and Alan Frog. I'd tell them my situation, and they'd help me. Hopefully they wouldn't accidentally kill me in the process… or maybe if they did, I'd get to go home!

"This is ridiculous!" I cried out to the world, my voice cracking with the tossing waves.

It was when I got to the top of the wooden staircase that the most painful shot of pain stabbed into my chest - it felt like my heart had just taken a bullet, or something. I couldn't breathe, and every time I tried, it felt like my ribcage would crack open. I was sweating and doubling over, clutching at my chest, rasping unusually fast. Oh, no… what was happening? What was happening?

And then my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I felt my entire body collapse on the ground.

_Still more to come! Hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear what you think! :) Thanks to all the reviews from earlier! You guys are the best! - Plainsong30_


	8. Meeting the Frogs

"Hey… Daphne…"

The voice floated through one ear and went out the other. I felt myself drooling…

"Wake up… DAPHNE!"

My eyes opened, and I was staring up at four different faces…

"Whatch-ya doin' down there?" Paul asked me, rubbing his five o'clock shadow with his fingertips.

"I…" I stared up at all of them in confusion. "I was having… a heart attack…"

Dwayne snorted, then began laughing. David was merely smiling.

"You think it's funny?" I questioned angrily. "It seriously felt like I was going to die! And then I suddenly pass out? You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" I turned to Marko, who was staring down at me from the upper left of my vision. "It was that Hawaiian punch, Marko…"

Marko was laughing at me as Paul reached a hand out to help me up. I took it gingerly, and he yanked me to my feet in one swift motion. "Heart attack? Girl, have you been taking acid?"

"Acid?" I asked, perplexed. "What, no! I don't do acid!"

"Oh, alright… because if you did, I'd be mad that you weren't hooking me up!"

"You know what… you just need to take a break from drugs," I told him sarcastically, clapping him on the back of the head as they all started towards the bikes.

"Ha… you're funny, Daph," Paul simply answered.

It was dark at this point. The sun was gone completely. I reached up to touch my aching skull, not to mention that I felt unbelievably hungry. "How long was I laying there?"

David shrugged his shoulders. "Take it easy, Daph," he told me as he approached his bike. "We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

I stared at him with a determined expression on my face. "Are you guys going to the Boardwalk?"

David nodded. "You coming?"

"Yeah, she's riding with me!" Marko hooted.

"What about Star and Laddie?"

David only smiled at the rest of the boys, then turned back to me. "They're taking the night off… c'mon, Daph, let's go."

I didn't understand his look, but approached Marko silently and climbed onto the back of his bike.

We were off into the night faster than I imagined. The trees passed by in a blur, my mind seeming to be somewhere else. I only had one thing on my mind… and that was that I was hungry. _Really_ hungry. Almost to the point where it was hard to control myself…

I shook my head and remembered the plan. I had to talk to the Frog brothers and work something out with them. That was the next step. I tried to avoid the thought that I was hungry for human blood altogether…

We got to the Boardwalk in no time. When I climbed off the back of Marko's bike, I realized that it might be a problem trying to pull myself away from the group without them being suspicious…

Maybe I could sneak off?

The guys had started walking down the Boardwalk without even paying attention to me. This was my moment.

I turned and began to sneak off, practically on tip-toe, when-

"Daphne?"

I turned towards David's suspicious voice. "Yeah, David?"

"Where you headed?"

"N-nowhere, man. I mean…"

"Stay with us," he told me. It was more of an order, rather than a request. I answered with a simple gulp as I began to walk in their direction. Dwayne held an expressionless look on his face while Marko and Paul merely exchanged snickers.

David had his eye on me now. He put himself at the same pace as me and never left my side. At one point, he put an arm around my shoulder that only unsettled me rather than comfort me… he was really, really keeping a close eye on me.

And then the familiar store suddenly appeared - carts of comic books appeared in the open Boardwalk and led towards the small shop that I had been waiting for…

"H-hey," I murmured, shrugging away from David. "Is it alright if I look around in here?"

"Comic books?" smirked David in disbelief. "Since when do you read comic books?"

I tried to act as normal as possible. "Since birth," I answered with a pout, crossing my arms.

"Hmm… I didn't know that."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, David," I told him, my tone almost heated.

Dwayne only laughed, while David glared at him in annoyance. "Fine… only for a little bit. We'll be over here."

"Yeah, we're not going into some lame-ass comic book shop," hooted Paul, being sure to scream the last few words as loud as possible. I shrank where I stood in embarrassment.

"Why don't you go to…" my head suddenly exploded with a teasing, ironic idea. "The video store?"

Marko cocked an eyebrow at me while David smirked, popping a cigarette into his mouth. "Sure," he murmured, the cig bouncing between his lips. He turned towards the rest of the group who loosened their shirt collars uneasily. "Let's go, boys." Then he strolled off, leaving behind a puff of smoke as the rest of the gang followed.

Finally! Alone at last!

I slunk into the comic book shop, greeting it as if it were a new heavenly sanctuary… then I didn't stop looking around until I saw the two boys that were the best part about the _Lost Boys_.

There was Edgar… red bandana and long mane of hair and all. He was studying a comic, and looked up at me through squinted, scrutinizing eyes, as if giving me a pat down with his vision.

I turned away from him to start in the opposite direction, only I almost came in contact with the same, deathly stare, this time with Alan.

"H-hey Al… I mean, h-hey," I greeted in discomfort, having almost bumped chests with Alan. Not to mention that I almost greeted him on a first-name status, when we really hadn't even introduced ourselves yet.

"Hey," he murmured in a monotone, his eyes simply grazing me, then glancing past my head - probably to make eye contact with Edgar. "Need any help finding anything?" His dark eyes were glowing in the light, his brown hair slightly messy and his skin glowing with a decent tan.

"Um… actually…" Oh, my Lord. I was speaking to them, the effing Frog Brothers. My heart felt like it would explode out of my chest. I thought I was having an allergic reaction on my tongue, since I couldn't seem to speak. "Erm… I was looking for…"

Alan was staring down at me, an eyebrow slowly shifting upward as he continued to listen to my rant of unintelligible words.

"V-vampire comics," I finally managed to squeak, clearing my throat uncomfortably.

Alan tilted his head at me in interest. "Good choice…" He turned and began walking down the aisle, me following him like a lost child. "Are you new to Santa Carla?"

I glanced over at Edgar, who had followed me and began walking with us down the aisle.

"You could say that," I said, managing to find my voice… the comic book shop looked exactly the way it had in the films; posters covering the walls, the Frogs' hippie parents sleeping by the register with their sunglasses on… it was like walking through a dream.

"So, you just happen to be interested in vampires then?" Edgar inquired, his husky voice wafting through my ears and causing my skin to shiver dreamily.

"Ehh…" I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

"Or… did you run across something strange on your visit here in Santa Carla?" Edgar questioned again.

"Define strange."

Alan suddenly shoved a comic book in my hand with the image of a gory vampire and the title _Vampires Everywhere!_ "Read this," he ordered.

"Interesting comic," I said with a nod.

"Think of it more as a survival guide… if you ever need our help, our number's on the back. And pray… that you never need to call us."

I just nodded again and gulped. I looked up to see that they were both studying me once again.

"Wh-what is it?" I asked with a gulp, wondering if I had an oozing zit or something.

"Have you drank anything… strange, lately?" Alan questioned, crossing his arms over his army-green tank.

It was then that the phone rang, which practically saved me, since I didn't really know how to answer that question… but one thing I now knew for certain, they _knew_. But how? Vampire hunters… they weren't kidding.

Edgar got to the phone before Alan could, while I continued down the aisle of comic books, studying the Batman comics and the Superman comics, and Spider-Man-

"Get yourself a good sharp stake, and drive it right through his heart."

I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose -the words just floated through my ear. I looked up to see Edgar and Alan both huddled around the phone. They both glimpsed up at me, then looked away quickly, avoiding my gaze and huddling themselves even closer.

"Whatever, pal, it's your funeral," Alan simply told whoever it was on the other end of the receiver, then they hung up…

Wait a second! They were talking to Sam! Sam Emerson! Sam had just called because he had learned that Michael was a half-vampire! Which means that… Michael will be going to the boys' cave again tonight, and he'll end up staying with Star…

Only there was one problem. Did Michael like Star enough to sleep with her tonight?

It didn't matter! It _had_ to be done! The destiny of the _Lost Boys _film depended on it! I had two missions that night already… get help from the Frog brothers, and become the matchmaker for Star and Michael. Only problem was that I sucked at matchmaking, and plus my social skills didn't seem to be blasting off with the Frogs.

"Sooo… who was that?" I asked, trying to simply act curious.

"Nobody," Edgar told in his husky tone.

"Really? I could've sworn that you had told somebody to drive a stake through somebody's heart?"

"Well, you heard wrong," Alan defended calmly. He exchanged an expressionless glance with Edgar.

I was about to smile, only the most painful feeling seemed to erupt from my chest. Oh, no… not this again.

I couldn't help but place a hand against one of the shelves and lean over, holding my breath and cradling myself.

"Hey, you okay?" I heard Edgar ask in concern.

"Erm… yeah, it's just a cramp." That was when I cried out and grabbed for my chest, unable to breath and practically dying. My heart was racing… or was it slowing down?

The only thing on my mind now was a sudden craving that seemed to take over all other thoughts and morals. I was hungry… and I wanted something. Now.

My eyes were burning and my teeth felt like they were swelling over. I've got to get away…

"Edgar… she's…" I heard Alan start.

"Stand back, Alan!" Edgar protested. "She's one of them!"

"No, I'm not!" I argued, still doubled over and clutching my chest. "I said it's a cramp!"

Edgar wasn't listening. "I say we terminate her right now!" I heard him cry.

Wait, what? Slow down, Edgar! There's nothing wrong! I'm just… a little hungry for blood, is all…

Maybe I should be terminated then.

**Hey, sorry it took a little longer than usual to update! Thanks for hanging on though! And let me know what you think! - Plainsong30**


	9. Getting Deep with David

"I'm only half!" I gasped over the pain. "I'm only a half-vampire!"

"She's confessing, Edgar! She's confessing!" Alan declared. I looked up to see him shaking Edgar violently.

"Yes, I'm not deaf, Alan," Edgar snapped, yanking himself free from Alan. "And what do you propose we do about it? We're highly trained vampire hunters. If anything, you just came here for a suicide mission."

I couldn't help but laugh - the pain was now beginning to subside. "I'm only a half-vampire… but I want to be human again. I don't think I'd be able to take a person's life for their blood."

At this point, I was having my own personal battle in my head, trying to block out everyone and everything as I attempted to push the teeth back into my gums…

I squeezed my eyes shut and bit down on my tongue. The burning in my eyes and the aching in my gums ceased… had it gone away?

Only one way to find out… I slowly came to a stand and eyed both of the Frogs, reading their expressions for a look of shock or fear. They only held features of alarm… my face was normal.

"Are you guilty of drinking vampire's blood?" Alan suggested. "Or have you been bitten?"

"It was a trick! I didn't know it was blood!" I protested, constantly looking over my shoulder. "I thought it was Hawaiian punch!"

"How can you mistaken blood for Hawaiian punch?" Edgar demanded, suddenly stepping towards me and practically barreling me down.

"Listen… that's not the point! The point is that I know who the head vampire is!" I continued, now breaking down in a whisper. A new idea was formulating in my head… it always saddened me at the end of the movie how all the Lost Boys had to die. The thing was, Max was the head vampire. Maybe if he was killed first, before all the other boys, then things would be… different?

"The head vampire?" Alan repeated. "And how is it that you know so much about vampires already?"

"You guys aren't the only ones who know about vampires," I said with a shake of my head. "Don't be so naïve."

"You mean… there are more hunters out there?" Edgar asked, his eyes filled with amazement. "Well, who are they? Are you with their group? Can we make contact with them-"

Alan butted in. "And join forces to become-"

"Vampire hunters!" Edgar finished. They were suddenly facing each other, smacking their hands together as if doing some secret bro-handshake.

"Fighters! For truth!"

"Justice!"

"And the American way."

I stood there, my mouth agape, probably because I was trying not to have a heart attack from how excited I was. These two were probably one of my favorite characters in the whole movie, and they were saying one of my favorite quotes. Ever. Before my very eyes.

"So, can we meet these other vampire hunters that you're with?" Edgar asked, turning to me quickly.

I stared at him, my eyes glazing over as I broke myself free of my trance. "Uh… no! There's no time! This guy, this head vampire, he's already responsible for tons of deaths!"

"Well, who is he?"

"Max! His name is Max. He works at the video store… the tall guy with the glasses?"

Alan and Edgar looked at each other. "That son of a bitch," Alan growled.

"I knew it was him all along…" muttered Edgar.

"I say we kill him!"

"Tonight!"

"Well… uh, tonight isn't really a good time for me, but maybe we could do it another time, okay?" I mumbled, all the words tumbling out of my mouth, anxiety taking over… I thought I had just seen a head of platinum blond hair in the crowd. "So, if I came back tomorrow night, then we can kill-"

"Who are you planning to kill?" a voice suddenly questioned.

My entire body froze mid-sentence, an icy shiver running down my spine as I felt a gloved, leather hand suddenly wrap its fingers around my neck. Very slowly, I glanced up and behind to see David standing there, an unreadable look on his face as he stared down at me with his piercing blue eyes.

"K-kill?" I squeaked, shrugging out of David's grasp. "I never said anything about killing anybody!"

"What are you talking about?" Edgar asked in confusion, glancing from me to David. "Weren't we just talking about-"

"Shut up!" I wailed, diving forward and covering Edgar and Alan's mouth with either hand. "Don't you two know when it's time to stop telling silly stories!" At this point I was pushing them backwards, forcing them to turn around and walk away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Alan protested, turning towards me.

I clenched my teeth together and made a motion at my neck for him to shut up. Luckily he stopped talking.

"I have to go," I said quickly, turning away and striding towards David. I stared down at my shoes as I passed him, feeling his presence as he walked beside me, one of his arms wrapping around my shoulders.

"You want to tell me what you and those boys were talking about?" he asked quizzically, his voice a deep, forceful sound as it pierced my ear.

"Oh, they were just talking about ridiculous stories from comic books. Th-that's all," I answered. I hoped to God that I may have sounded at least a little convincing.

He still had his arm around me as we continued walking down the Boardwalk, the rest of the crowd seeming to be invisible as I was glued to his side.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell me?" he asked.

I licked my lips and felt my heart jolt slightly. "David… have you ever thought about what it's like to be…"

"What it's like to be what?" he asked, since I couldn't finish my sentence.

I bit on my lip, trying to figure out how to say it. "What it's like to not have somebody ordering you around? To not have somebody higher than you be a dictator of your life?"

I looked over to see he was hiding back a grin. "What brought this on?" he asked, taking a puff of his cigarette, the tip glowing in the dark.

"I was just curious…"

"You don't think I have control of my own life?" he asked, his tone slightly icy.

"That's not what I meant!" I protested. We had stopped beside the railing at this point, the crowd passing by us in a meaningless blur. "I just mean… to live at your own will. To make your own decisions… and to not have anybody force you to do anything."

He stared at me as I said that, then looked away, as if slightly guilty. I felt my hand clench into a fist as my fingernails dug into my palm anxiously. Had I said the wrong thing?

"Sometimes… sometimes it's better if people make your decisions for you," he answered.

I cocked an eyebrow. "How is it better?"

"It's better because you don't have to decide for yourself. You're given something, and that's that. There's nothing to worry about."

I was taken aback by his answer. "I think it'd be better to make your own decisions," I told him. "Not to have somebody make them for you… don't you think so?"

"Well, the way I got here today… it wasn't exactly my decision," he told me. This is the exact thing I was aiming for. I already knew that he was a vampire, and assumed that it was Max who had turned him… I was also assuming that he didn't have a choice in the matter. "And look at me now."

"And you're happy with the decision that whoever it was made for you?" I asked. Translation: You're happy that Max made you a vampire?

He shrugged his shoulders. "Do I look happy?"

I bit down on my tongue as I stared at his serious gaze, his hand reaching towards his lip as he took another puff of his cigarette.

"Do you think you could do that to somebody else?" I asked him, not realizing how serious and deep this conversation had become. "Do you think you could make a decision for somebody that wouldn't benefit them at all? That would destroy their life or make them completely miserable?" Translation: Do you think you could make me a monster and not feel guilty about it?

I was hoping for a humane answer, one that would possibly show some goodness in David.

"I already have," he snickered.

I had a light flame going inside me for David. He just blew it right out at that point.

**Hey there! Sorry it took so long to update! I've been having trouble writing, but no worries! I think I'm back on track now! Thanks for being so patient, I appreciate it! And I would loooove to hear your thoughts on this chapter! :) - Plainsong30**


	10. Time to Join the Club

"We have to go somewhere," David told me.

He broke me out of my trance; I had been staring off into the choppy black waters of the ocean, which ended in an invisible black horizon.

"Where?" I questioned. He had his arm hooked with mine, and was leading me down the Boardwalk again.

"Back to Hudson's Bluff," he explained. "It's about time we go home."

"B-but…" I stammered. "That place isn't my home."

"Well, would you like me to take you home then?"

I already knew what he was insinuating. He knew it more than me… I obviously didn't have a home. I was just as homeless as he was.

"Hudson's Bluff it is," he replied to my speechless demeanor.

I felt my heart sink to my stomach. I was so helpless in this world that it wasn't even funny. I didn't have any friends, or my family, to find help from. They probably didn't even exist… I was completely on my own.

"What's on your mind, Daph?" David asked me as we neared his bike. My eyes were frozen on the spokes of the wheel.

"Nothing," I answered, sheepishly, following him as he climbed aboard the bike.

"You're going all spacey on me… I know something's up," he replied. "Talk to me… remember, you're one of us now."

I wrapped my arms around David's waist, expecting him to finally give up and start the engine, but we just sat there. "I'm all alone," is what I said. "I have no home, and I have no friends… and I'm all alone." Saying it out loud almost made me start to cry.

I was surprised to feel David's hand pat my own. "Not anymore, you're not."

His words struck me as loudly as the bike's engine when he kicked it on.

The ride to the bluff was faster than I had imagined. I had zoned out for practically the whole ride, thinking about how I was in Santa Carla, how I was interacting with the Lost Boys… if I'd actually become a vampire, if I'd somehow lose control… if I'd ever get home.

I broke out of my daze as we approached the cliff. I was surprised to see a roaring bonfire glowing in the blackness, the orange flames licking the fog that rose around it.

"What's going on?" I asked David as he came to a stop and killed the engine. I could already feel the heat of the fire from the distance we were at, inhaling the smoky vapors, my eyes burning from the color and ash. There were many people there, people whom I'd never met before. I recognized Dwayne, Marko, and Paul, the three of them seated beside several girls near the fire.

My heart was beating in my chest as I watched Paul nuzzle a young blonde, her face glowing in the light as she closed her eyes, his face suckling her neck.

"What's going on?" I asked again, pulling myself off the bike. I was surprised to hear the terror in my tone.

Dwayne was pulling a mysterious brunette closer towards him. Their faces were touching, her back to me as he eyed me around the corner of her head. I looked away in embarrassment and shock.

Marko was now up on his feet, drinking beers with two other young men who looked to be around my age. They weren't walking properly from their drunken state - Marko was perfectly sober.

"D-David…" My eyes couldn't tear away from the scene.

"No more games, Daphne," he told me, his voice suddenly harsh and cold. "It's time to join the club."

I turned to look back at him and screamed. His face was that monstrous shape as it had been in the film; his forehead jutted out as his eyes sunk into his skull, his eyes glowing a horrible yellow as his lips curled back over a pair of long, sharp fangs. It was scarier in person.

I backed away from him quickly, caught my heel on something, and fell on my back with a thud. David only laughed at me, his smiling growing larger, my eyes unable to tear away from those teeth.

There was more laughter. I broke my gaze with David and looked to see Marko standing by the fire, his shadow outlined by the orange glow, his teeth glowing in the light as his eyes sparkled in a yellowish, demon-like color. His body suddenly rose - he was flying - and he disappeared into the sky. My heart was hammering in my chest…

Paul and Dwayne were sitting beside each other, their eyes glowing and their faces deformed… their teeth were longer than normal. The two girls they had been at earlier already lay dead in their laps, blood spilt over their ripped throats, their mouths open in a frozen scream.

Tears were inching down my cheeks. I crawled away in a panic, hearing the rest of the screams. I curled up in a ball and covered my ears, screaming until my voice went hoarse, doing anything to block out their screams… their laughter.

I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to hear it…

My eyes were burning. My gums were on fire. I had never felt that before.

"Stop it…" I whispered out loud. "Don't. Stop it…"

I suddenly felt firm hands on my shoulders. They were shaking me, as if awakening me from a dream.

"Daphne!" They were beginning to shake me harder. I only started screaming. "Daphne!" They yanked my hands from my ears and forced me to turn over. I was staring up at Paul, his face covered in blood… but that was all. His face was back to normal.

"Get away from me!" I howled. I crawled away from him, but he only held me back.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked with a tiny grin.

I stared at him as if he were crazy. "You psychopaths! I knew already, but…"

He looked at me in confusion. "You knew _what_ already?"

I opened my mouth, trying to make up an excuse, but already panicking in my terrified state, I couldn't think of anything. "Let go of me!" I protested. "Take your hands off me!"

He finally obeyed, and I drew away from him as quickly as I could, pulling myself to my feet.

David, Dwayne, and Marko were approaching us from a distance. I staggered backwards, Paul's laughter breaking the silence.

"Well, Daphne…" David started, approaching me with the rest of the boys, "now you know what we are, and now you know what you are."

I stared at him, deja-vu blowing through me once again. It was just like it had been with Michael, only…

It was _me_. _I_ was the half-vampire. And if I didn't control myself, I might very well become a vampire, too.

"You'll never grow old, and you'll never die… but you must feed," he explained. A smirk crossed his features as he wiped at his face and laughed. Soon all the boys joined in, their voices floating through my ears like some haunted melody.

"What if I don't," I replied. They all stopped immediately. I stared them all down, gulping as my tears dried on my cheeks. "What if I never feed."

David's face turned serious. "You'll die," he told me. "But to be honest, I don't think it's suitable for any girl like you to die at such a young age."

"I don't think it's suitable for any girl like me to have to _murder_ at such a young age," I growled through gritted teeth.

David glared at me. "But when you become one of us, you avoid death altogether."

"Not until you get a stake through your ribcage!" I barked in defense.

They all laughed humorously. "Uh, I think you meant a stake through the _heart_, Daph," Marko corrected.

I glared at him, no comeback whatsoever forming in my head. "Forget you guys," I snapped, turning around and starting away. "I can get off on my own."

"Daphne," David called.

"What?" I growled, turning back to him like some angry teenager yelling at their father.

"You _will _come back to us," he answered. "You won't have a choice."

I stared after him, unsure of how to take his statement. Then I turned away and continued walking into the darkness, wondering how I might get off. I was already starving… and I knew I wasn't hungry for ordinary food. How long would I go without feeding? Would I make it out of here before then?

But one big question still stretched in my mind. I was pretty sure at this point that this wasn't a dream, so when I returned to my actual home - if I ever did - would I still be a half-vampire? Or would I return human again?

Otherwise all hell would break lose if I return home a half-vampire. Or an actual vampire itself.

_The story is getting serious, I realize! But don't worry, I'll try to squeeze in a little humor here and there! Hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for more! :D - Plainsong30_


	11. Michael

I was practically staggering down the road at this point. If somebody saw me, they'd probably assume I was drunk or something. But I wasn't walking uneasily from the affects of too much alcohol; I was walking like that from the affects of not enough nutrition… meaning…

Oh, God. If I had any means for survival at this point, I would _have_ to take somebody's life eventually. The thought crept around my shoulder like a ghost, waiting to strike at a moment that I was not ready for it. But I knew it was there… and knowing was what drove me crazy.

Now my brain was thinking all too hard about it. When would it be? How much time did I have before I lost control? _Who_ would it be?

Please let it be some murderous raving, rapist lunatic who I murder. Please don't it let be an innocent person who didn't deserve it at all…

The scenes from before came crashing back into my mind - the hideous faces of the boys in their true, monstrous, vampire forms; the blood that was spilt; the people murdered. I was crying at this point, that horrible crying where the biggest lump forms at the back of your throat and you hiccup every once and a while. The crying where your eyes have probably gone bloodshot from trying to hold back the tears, and where the sobbing itself is so hysterical that your shoulders shake.

If anybody were to see me, it would be bad…

And then, to my horror, a single bike headlight shown down the empty road which I walked down. I hadn't seen a car until now… and I was sure that whoever it was riding that motorcycle would be somebody I knew.

My question was answered in seconds as the bike came to a stop beside me.

"Michael?" I asked in a choked whisper, wiping away the tears as quickly as possible. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I was going back to the cave," he explained, "to find you…"

My heart jolted in my chest. Tonight was the night he was suppose to see Star. If I hadn't been involved in all this, he would've gone down into that very cave and stayed with Star for the night. That's the way it was suppose to be… and here I was, messing it all up.

It only made me cry harder.

"Daphne, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He climbed off his bike and neared me. I was glued to the spot, comforted by his arms as he wrapped them around my shoulders. He buried me into his chest for a few seconds, then stepped away from me, waiting for an answer.

I gazed up at him, hiccupping. Michael didn't look well - he hadn't shaved it what seemed a couple of days, his chin coated with a fine stubble. His eyes looked sleepless, as if he hadn't gotten any rest at all. Sweat coated his forehead, his leather jacket zipped up to his neckline. He looked ill, if anything.

"Michael, you don't look so good…"

"I could say the same about you," he answered softly. His demeanor wasn't what I remembered it to be. The human Michael had been more easy going and cheerful. This Michael was timid and melancholic… almost depressed. I shivered in the cold as I stared at him.

"Daphne, I have to talk to you," he exclaimed, his voice sounding slightly strained. "Daph, what's happening to me?"

"I… I…" I didn't know what to say to him. Hadn't Sam told him already? "It's happening to me, too. It was the… wine."

"That wasn't wine," Michael answered, more to himself. "It was blood, wasn't it?"

I bit down on my lip and looked away from him.

"You knew, didn't you?" he questioned. I didn't answer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to tell you. Star even told you! But you didn't listen."

"Of course I didn't! Who would ever believe that that bottle of wine was really blood?" Michael cried, exasperated. I was shocked by his tone of voice. But he had every right to be angry.

"Oh, Michael," I sighed, wiping the last of my tears. I had finally regained myself. "I-I'm so sorry."

"No, it's not your fault," he told me. He once again wrapped me into an embrace. I returned the hug, sighing into the sleeve of his leather jacket, tightening my grip on him.

Star should be here right now. She should be in my spot… this was wrong.

I immediately took a step away from him when I thought that.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I… th-this isn't right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not suppose to be like this! You're suppose to be with Star!" I finally bellowed.

"Why am I suppose to be with Star?" he asked in confusion, adding in a laugh and a shake of his head. "Are you crazy? I don't even know her!"

"But I know that you two are suppose to be together!" I protested. "I know for certain! You just haven't given her a chance yet!"

"Daphne… you can't make somebody like someone else. It just doesn't work that way."

"But that's not what I'm doing! I know for certain that you and Star will be happy together!" I kept trying to tell him, shaking my head to everything he shot back. "You just don't know…"

He fell silent for a second, and I stood in front of him, wrapping my arms around myself.

"I do know one thing," he replied. I looked up at him, slightly unsure. "I know that right now you're the only thing that's been on my mind since the moment I saw you at the Boardwalk."

I was taken aback by his words, my heart swelling in my chest as I felt blood rush to my cheeks. I looked up into his eyes, hypnotized.

"And I know that it's not just me… I know you feel something, too."

My gut jolted slightly. It was his eyes - my God, they were practically taking over my mind. I finally broke away the gaze, but looked back up at him.

"I know you feel something for me the way I feel something for you," he said to me.

"B-but, Michael… I-I barely even know you."

Michael looked angry for a second, looking away from me and towards the empty road. "Why do you have to keep making up excuses? I mean, it's true… we don't know each other very well. But I say if we have something… then why not?"

I stared at him in pain, wondering what the best decision would be. Don't do it… do it. Don't do it… do it.

I closed my eyes and brought fists to my head, trying to make up my mind.

This was wrong. Star was suppose to be with Michael… but an opportunity like this would never come up again. Never.

"Oh, Michael…" I sighed, looking up at him again.

I was cut off to feel his mouth press against my own, the soft shape of his lips gently caressing mine. For a moment I stood there, feeling his hand shape with the small of my back as he pulled me close to him. My eyes stared open at his closed ones, taking in the shape of his dark eyelashes.

Then I let go of all impulses and everything I thought was wrong, and kissed him back. It released a joy that I never thought existed.

**Hey, sorry it took me so long to update the next chapter! I'm kind of having trouble writing, but I'll try to get back on track. What'd you think of the pairing with Michael? Let me know! - Plainsong30**


	12. Paul's Philosophy

It wasn't easy convincing Michael to let me go back to the cave alone. I managed to explain to him that I had nowhere else to go, and he suggested that I stay with him at his house. And though I love Lucy, Grandpa, and Sam, I wasn't sure that staying with Michael would be the most appropriate thing… and the other thing was that none of them had ever met me.

But as I walked through the trees and approached the looming cliff of Hudson's Bluff, I was met with a defeat that crushed my very insides into dust. Pride was a huge thing I had going - and now I had destroyed it to an oblivion going back there.

The weather was calmer the later it was into the night. I was sure that it was beyond midnight at this point, and the cliff was free of fog and wind. I could hear the soft waves from the ocean crash gently on the rocks below - the horizon was a light blue. Morning should arrive sooner or later. Probably later.

I touched my gauzed hand, remembering the time that I had cut it on the glass in the cave. Curious, I unwound the fabric and glanced at my hand, gasping. It was spotless - not even a scar. The fabric was covered in browned, dried blood, but that was all. My palm was as good as new.

But, that's impossible…

"Hey beautiful."

I jumped out of my skin at the voice. I turned abruptly and saw Paul dispersing from the trees. Leaves were tucked away into his peroxide blond hair, a sadistic smile coating his lips that suggested things beyond my imagination.

I greeted him with a glare, then turned back to the darkened view before me.

"Oh, feisty are we?" he snickered. I could hear him approach me from behind, his arms wrapping around my neck, his fingers touching my collarbone. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, resting his chin on my shoulder. "You got a tampon up your ass?"

"How is it that you know what tampons are used for?" I snarled. "Usually a guy can't even tell the difference between a tampon or a pad."

"Well, you wanna know something, Daphne?" Paul whispered. "Something gross?"

"Not really."

"I'm gunna tell you anyways!" he replied cheerfully. "You know how vampires like blood, right?"

My stomach suddenly turned into knots.

"And you know how girls get something called… shall we say… a menstrual cycle?"

"Shut the fuck up, Paul!" I howled, turning on him so fast that he nearly fell backwards. "You sick bastard! You psychopathic pervert!"

He went into a wheeze of giggles as he fell backwards on his back, laughing and rolling along the ground like a toddler on crack.

"You're out of your mind. Goddamn drug addict."

"Hey, I'm high off life," he interjected.

"That's bullshit," I growled, turning away from him. "You aren't even alive." I turned to start towards the stairs down the cliff, only I felt something lock around my ankle. Before I even had time to react, I fell straight towards the earth, practically eating dirt as I was dragged backwards.

"What's with the heavy cussing?" asked Paul with a chuckle as he pulled me beside him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and propped his head up on his elbow with the other, staring at me like we were innocent children exchanging secrets at a sleepover. "Is it that time of the month?"

I glared at him and tired to break free from his grip.

"I'm just kidding, Daph!" he giggled again. I gave up and laid there like a dead fish, ignoring him as I stared up at the stars. This only made him laugh harder.

"What do you want from me, Paul?" I asked in a quiet tone, harsh though quiet.

"Well, seeing that we're going to be siblings for the rest of our lives-"

"Who said that?"

He snorted. "Nobody said that. It's an assumption."

"And why would you assume something like that?" I asked in disbelief.

"Because you are going to become a vampire, Daph," he told me, almost angry. "It's as simple as that."

I turned away from him and laid my head back down in the grass, seeing as there was no point in trying to writher free of him.

"But once you warm up to me, I honestly think we'll get along just fine," he explained, pulling a strand of hair away from my face.

I wasn't sure how to take that comment, and eyed him in my peripheral vision, then looked back at the stars.

"What if I never fed. Or what if, somehow, I became human again…"

"It's never going to happen," Paul replied, so sure of himself that I wanted to laugh out loud.

"Why are you so certain?" I asked.

"Because… why are you so against being a vampire anyways?"

I kept staring up at the sky, studying the twinkling stars that winked and blinked in the midnight blue color that cemented the sky.

"I can't kill anybody," I told him. "I just… can't. I'm still human you know. I'm not evil like you. I can't do things like that."

"Who says I'm evil?" Paul whimpered. "I'm not evil…"

"Who're you trying to fool, Paul?" I asked with a snort. "You're not evil? You murder people for a living. I think that's evil enough…"

"I can't help that I kill people though," he explains. "It's in my nature. It's in a lion's nature to snap the neck of a baby gazelle and feed it to its baby cubs."

"You can never be compared with a lion."

"Why not?"

"Because… lions are like Simba! You could never be compared with 'The Lion King' in a million years," I spat.

"What are you talking about?" He sounded genuinely confused.

Had _The Lion King_ not been released quite yet? "Nothing… I mean… never-mind."

"Well, alright… whatever floats your boat."

A silence fell upon us that didn't really need to be filled. I pulled my hands up and rested them behind my head. At this point I had given up on fighting - I gave up on fighting Michael, I had given up on fighting Paul, and now… was I giving up on fighting my thirst, too?

"Who was your first, Paul?"

"Ooo… you wanna get into my sex life now, huh?" he answered, his tone sultry.

"What? God, no!… Well, maybe… but I was talking about your life as a vampire. Your first kill?"

"Oh, gotchya! Yeah, we can get into my sex life later… there's a _lot_ going on there!" he hooted. I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking. "But, um… my first was a girl. About your age, actually. Beautiful skin. I think that's why I took her. She had really nice skin."

I stared at him like the psychotic killer he was. "That's why you killed her? She had nice skin?"

"Yeah. I was hungry…" he muttered, his voice sounding slightly guilty.

"Why not kill some guy who rapes young girls late at night or something? That's what I'd do…"

"Then do it!" he told me. "You're starving. You need to feast. Go right ahead and kill that dirty bastard that murders people and rapes young children. I have no problem with it."

"Paul…" I murmured. "Why do you kill people, so… maliciously?"

He was silent for a moment. "It's what I do. I was born evil."

"What? No, you weren't," I protested.

"Yes I was. I was born a monster. I'm still a monster. And that's what I'm going to be. I've perfected becoming what everyone assumed I was."

"Paul!" I cried. "Don't say that!"

"Say what?"

"You weren't born a monster! Nobody is born a monster… it's only what people think of you, and you can't let that get in the way of how you feel about yourself."

"But… I _am_ a monster. I've done so many things, it'd be impossible to go back now," he told me, his voice trailing off. He pulled the hand wrapped around my waist away and laid beside me.

I wasn't really giving him advice like "I don't think you're a monster," because, well, that wasn't the truth. But from the sounds of it… Paul wasn't made out to what he wanted himself to be. But even though he wasn't happy with what he was, he seemed to accept it… he made the best of being a vampire; he _enjoyed_ it. I guess, what else did he have going for himself?

"The quicker you make your first kill," Paul told me, "then the easier it gets. Plus, you won't be starving anymore… and trust me, Daph. Being a vampire isn't all that bad. It's got the best advantages you could ever imagine."

"Name one," I snapped.

"You're sexy. Women love sexy men, especially vampires."

"How the hell does that benefit to me?" I snapped impatiently.

"Well, I mean, you attract men," he corrected.

"Okay, so there's sex appeal. Anything else? You've really persuaded me so far," I said sarcastically."

"Feisty… well, you live forever."

"But I don't want to live forever. Why is death viewed as such a negative thing?"

"I never said it was," he answered. "But, I mean, you don't even know what death is, do you?"

"But I want to find out. I mean, I _will_ find out someday."

"No you won't," said Paul. "You're a vampire now."

"Half-vampire."

"Doesn't matter. You'll give in one of these days and take your first victim, and then you'll be one of us. Besides, death might not even be heaven and hell and stuff. Maybe it's just… nothing. Maybe you die, and that's it."

His theory struck me dumb in the head, and I laid there, almost starting to cry just thinking about it. "But you don't know! You've never experienced it!"

"I know I haven't… but knowing I'm a vampire, I know I'll never have to experience it."

"Not unless you get a stake through your heart," I told him. Or drown in a tub of acid-like holy water. I shivered when I thought about that scene in the film… poor Paul.

"Now, when in the hell is that ever gunna happen? I'm invincible, baby. I can take on any sucker with a piece of wood in their hand."

I didn't say anything else as I laid there beside him, thinking about everything we had just talked about. It still hadn't changed my mind though about being a vampire.

"Are you still a little bit uneasy?" he laughed. "What can I say to convince you?"

"Nothing."

"Aw, c'mon now. I'm sure any other normal person would be up for being a vampire. You're just weird in the head."

"I'm weird in the head?" I snapped angrily. "Yeah. Sure…"

"Now, just listen to me," he started. "You think you're 'dead' when you're a vampire, right? But, Daph, I'll tell you something… I haven't been more alive in my entire life."

I bit down on my tongue for a few seconds, my hands wringing into fists on my plaid shirt. "So what's that suppose to mean?" I snapped. "That the life of a vampire is way better than it is now?"

"You're not even giving it a chance," he said, his tone slightly saddened. "Being a vampire gave me a will that I didn't have when I was human. I've done so much more as a vampire than I had as a human. Sure, I like to kill people… but I'd never go back."

"You're positive?" I asked. "I've read all those Anne Rice novels and 'Twilight' books where that's the only thing on a vampire's mind. Having humanity again."

" What's 'Twilight'?"

"Uh…"

"It's all a load of bullshit!" Paul scoffed. "Back to being human? Are you shitting me?"

"Don't you want to see the sunrise again? Or fall in love?"

"Who says I can't fall in love?" he laughed. "I mean, I could, but I kind of prefer not to. Things might get a lil' messy."

"Messy, as in…"

"As in I'd probably just kill her in the end," explained Paul quietly.

"Ahh, I see… and the sunrise? Sunset?"

He was silent for a moment. "Aww, who needs the sun?" He was lying.

It was strange having a conversation with Paul like this. I had already been in love with him after watching _The Lost Boys_ practically a dozen times. I had always thought he was the hottest of the four… and now here I was, practically discussing the philosophies of life, death, and vampires. I had assumed he was just the drug-addict who smoked dope and got drunk… but his mind held something else that I never would've learned from just watching the movie over and over again.

And he was on the verge of persuading me to become a vampire myself…

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I apologize for the extremely long update, but I've just been having trouble with this story. Don't worry, I have everything plotted out, but it's just writing the actual guts of the story that I'm having trouble with. Thank you for being so patient, and your comments and feedback have been so supportive! I'll try to finish the story and update it soon for you guys! As for now, let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	13. We're Your Family Now

I woke up to the sight of light just hitting the horizon. Rolling over on my side, I realized that I had fallen asleep on the cliff, and woke up to find myself alone. Where had Paul gone?

I came to a sitting position, realizing that I had a splitting headache, and not to mention an empty hunger in the pit of my stomach. I bit onto my lip, eyeing the lightening sky. It was almost dawn.

"Hungry?"

My head snapped up in surprise to see that Dwayne was standing behind me.

"Jeez!" I cried, jumping to my feet and reaching for my heart. "You scared me! First Paul, then you… it's like 'Night of the Living Dead.'"

He snickered. "I see you've gotten your sense of humor back, then?"

I stared at him in realization, knowing that he was bringing up the night that they had all vamped out. "I haven't forgotten that night," I replied quietly, my hands digging into the pockets of my jeans.

"I don't think you will," he answered. "I know I didn't."

I watched his eyes as they traveled towards the brightening sky. The clouds were in abstract clumps, blocking the direct sunlight that would soon hit the world. I wondered why Dwayne hadn't taken cover yet.

I gave his body a good pat down with my eyes and realized a few things - Dwayne wasn't pale at all. In fact, he must've had a nice, bronze tan that glowed along his skin, giving him a fine complexion. His eyes were dark and mysterious, matching that of his long, Native American-like hair. He must've had some heritage in him somewhere…

"Take a picture," he said, turning to me with a smile. "It'll last longer."

I went red in the face and dug my foot in the dirt, trying to think of something to break the silence.

"It's not so bad," he said suddenly.

I glanced up at him shyly. He was staring off at the sky again - the sun was almost up.

"What?"

"Being a vampire."

I pursed my lips. "I never said it was," I answered softly.

"But I know you think it is," he said to me.

"Why, would you recommend it?"

"Well, seeing as you don't have a choice-"

"Oh, I have a choice."

He just cocked an eyebrow at me. "You're rather die than become a vampire?"

"Well… I'm dead either way, aren't I?" I replied in confusion. "Die a human being, or… become a vampire, and have my soul damned to hell automatically. And die."

He just chuckled. "You're so paranoid."

"I have good reason to be paranoid," I snorted effortlessly.

"You haven't looked at being a vampire with one good thought of optimism," Dwayne explained, shaking his head. I thought I could hear him tsk-tsking as well.

"Why would I?" I was speaking in an obvious, sarcastic tone. I had become such a sarcastic person, it seemed…

"I was once like you," he told me. "Being a human was so long ago, but the memories are still there, you know. I remember being skeptical like you."

I held my tongue to hear more, wondering if he'd go on without me asking him to.

"But you have to understand something," he said nonchalantly, "I wasn't one for having much resistance. When I was hungry, I fed. When I see you, I see almost the exact opposite - so resistant and rebellious to what's coming for you."

Talking to Dwayne was much different than talking to Paul. Paul was all giggles and cracking jokes - Dwayne was the mysterious, vigilant person who you let do all the talking.

"You can talk too, you know," he said.

I felt my cheeks go red as he let off a hearty chuckle, stepped closer towards me, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. To admit it, it felt extremely comforting. He began leading us down the wooden staircase to the Lost Boys' cave.

I swallowed, trying to think of something decent to say to Dwayne, who at this point seemed to be the most easygoing of the four. Now was it time to make a good impression of Dwayne?

"You're too quiet," Dwayne continued to tease. "Say what's on your mind, at least."

My tongue was stuck in my throat, and his insistence wasn't helping.

"Let me guess," he interjected. "You're still trying to make up your mind about being a vampire?"

I bit down on my lip. Make up my mind?

"Or you already _have_ made up your mind?"

"No," I said suddenly, finally having found my voice. "I mean, I don't know… Paul said a lot of things to me earlier that may have changed my mind."

"About?"

"About actually becoming a vampire."

We had now reached the mouth of the cave, and before proceeding in, Dwayne paused by the water, staring off at the ever brightening sky.

"So you're trying to convince me too then?" I said to him.

Dwayne only turned to me with a smile. "Yeah, as much as I can."

I nodded. "But I mean… being a vampire… there are so many choices taken away from you that you had when you were human."

"For example?"

One idea popped into my head so fast that I would've high-fived myself if I could have. "Children," I blurted. "Having a family. That's impossible, isn't it?"

Dwayne didn't answer me. His face was frozen like stone for a second, an expression in his features that was mixed with anger, regret, and pain. Had I hit a soft spot?

"What's the matter?" I asked him, surprised to hear the concern in my voice. I hadn't meant to upset him.

"You're right about that," he said to me, shrugging his shoulders. He looked away from me. "But we can improvise."

"What do you mean?"

He turned back to me, as if recovering himself. "Laddie." 

My heart nearly reached the pit of my stomach. "What about Laddie?" I asked, my tone slightly icy. I didn't mean for the question to sound so cold, but there were thoughts beginning to churn in my mind. The only thought being, as to how they could possibly turn a boy into a monster at such a young age - he had barely lived through anything as a human, and here they were, giving him a proposition against his will, expecting him to make his first kill sooner or later. Thinking about it turned my blood cold. I tried not to burst from the thought, and instead fixed my eyes on my shoes, waiting for an answer from Dwayne. He had been silent this whole time.

"I never had a son, you know," Dwayne explained. "It was something I'd always thought about - settling down, having a few kids. At least a boy, anyways."

My heart skipped a beat for a moment. His words had suddenly changed my point-of-view… but not entirely. I had to hear more.

"You wanted to be a father?"

"Yeah… when I was younger, it was just a dream. But as I aged throughout the years - mentally, I should say - I began to long for that more and more. And the more I longed for it, the more I realized that I'd never have it."

I thought my heart might break for the grief that was beginning to swell inside me for Dwayne.

"But then one night, at the Boardwalk, guess who caught my eye?"

I gulped.

"Little Laddie… practically a spitting image of myself. Not exactly by image, but…"

"But you didn't give him a choice," I said softly, too soft for human ears to hear. But Dwayne wasn't human.

"A choice? None of us had a choice," he replied. His tone was angered, but still at a calm, monotonous sound. "We all arrived here the exact same way. And sooner or later, you will too. You can't hold off on feeding forever. In fact… I think you'll be giving in within the next couple days. You've been looking especially hungry."

"Stop saying that," I told him.

"It's the truth though, isn't it? You say you can't have family when you're a vampire, but look at us… we _are_ your family. Just as soon as you're done feeding on some human blood, and become the vampire we all know you will, you'll come back to us, your new, humble… family."

The way he said it didn't sound like family. It sounded more like imprisonment, or house arrest. I banished all thoughts from my mind as he ushered me down into the cave, his words haunting my mind. My eternal family. This cave… my eternal home. Sooner or later I would become a vampire, whether I liked it or not.

Unless I put an end to all this nonsense, met up with those Frog Brothers once more, and drove a stake through Max's stone cold heart…

And maybe, just maybe, I'd finally get to go home…

Because, honest-to-God, _The Lost Boys_ had been an exceptionally fantastic film… but at that moment, all I wished to handle was just watching it again on DVD while eating a bowl of ramen in the living room of my own _home_, rather than laying here on this soiled couch, staring up at the bats on the ceiling that slept just like vampires.

**I am so sorry that it's been taking forever to update each chapter! Thank you for being so loyal and keeping up with this story! :) I'm lucky to have readers like you guys! Don't be shy to tell me what you think, and I will try to update the next chapter as soon as humanly possibly! - Plainsong30**


	14. Anybody Can Fall In Love

As I started down the rocky entrance of the cave, which was never really easy for me, I felt my right foot slip out from under me, and was about to make way with the rocks below when I felt somebody grab my arm.

"Take it easy, Daph," explained a voice. I looked up to see Marko smiling at me, his hand still securely wrapped around my arm. "Can't handle those rocks, can you?"

I managed to crack a small, tired smile. "No, I guess not."

"You still owe me that kiss from when I saved your life the first day you got here."

"You didn't save my life…"

He helped me down the rest of he way, while Dwayne brushed past us with a smirk. "You've gotta be the clumsiest person I've ever met, Daph," Dwayne chuckled smoothly.

"I'll just take that as a compliment," I responded smoothly, trying not to be offended. He disappeared off into the cave, probably to go hang upside down and sleep in their little grotto.

I glanced over towards the curtains that cowered around Star's bed - I could see the loose curls of her hair cascaded over her pillow. She looked like she was already fast asleep, and so was Laddie.

I was starting towards the couch by the fountain, which at this point, had become my new home, my new sleeping quarters. That damn ugly couch…

"I can walk you know," I growled impatiently, noticing that Marko still had his hand wrapped around my arm.

"Okay, easy, easy… yeesh. You see how moody you can get when you're underfed?"

"Excuse me?" I cried in offense. "Are you _trying_ to set me off?"

"What do you mean, set you off? Are you trying to compare yourself with a rocket or something?" Marko giggled. "Because Daphne, even if I did set you off, you'd have the shock of being compared with a sparkler."

"I'm tired," I told him abruptly. "I'm going to bed, right, smack, _here_." I heaved myself onto the couch, crossed my arms, and stared up at the ceiling. Marko didn't even make a move to leave, though.

"What?" I snarled in irritation.

"That's nice. That's very nice," Marko replied with heavy sarcasm. "I saved your life when you almost slipped on those rocks up there _twice_, and now you treat me like I'm the scum of the earth."

"Thank you for saving my life. Twice," I said to him gently, turning towards him. I thought then that he might leave, since I wasn't at the moment up for chatting, but he pulled himself up on the ledge of the fountain. He started touching one of the ornaments that hung overhead it.

I watched him with some curiosity as he played with the same ornament, his mind seeming to be elsewhere. Why he was hanging around, I hadn't a clue, but for some reason, the more I stared at him, the more my brain rattled.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure."

"Marko, have you ever been in love?"

I got the response I had been expecting - he burst out into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach as he keeled over on the fountain.

"Try not to take my question so humorously, asshole," I spat.

"I'm sorry… I don't know why I thought it was so funny."

He finally recovered himself and sat down on the fountain's edge, opposite me. The two of us were now staring at each other, my gaze probably looking more angered compared to Marko's relaxed features.

"You want to know why I think you think it's so funny?" I told him.

"Sure, why not."

"It's because you're a vampire," I said to him. "It's because you're a vampire that you won't admit to actually having been in love."

He thought about what I said. "I don't know what you mean."

"You have to keep up this hard-ass, bully-like, no-time-for-love look about you. I mean, whenever a girl does come up, you'll brag about her with people, blah, blah, blah, have a one-night-stand…"

"Where is this all coming from?"

"Marko, I wanna know if it's still possible to fall in love while you're a vampire," I replied, my voice losing the hostility it had before, and now breaking into the weakest of tones.

Marko was taken aback by my question. He contemplated it a bit before answering. "No… I don't think so."

"How can you say that?" I suddenly burst, standing up while my voice cracked.

"Because it's true! It'd be way to complicated!"

"But I've never been in love!" I told him miserably. "I've never experienced that at all before!"

"How about you and Michael then? What's that there?"

I sighed, thinking about it. "I really like Michael. But I'm not irrevocably in _love _with him or anything."

"Not _yet_." I looked up at Marko's face. He was staring at me with a sheepish grin. "Who says you can't be in love when you're a vampire?"

"Well, for one, you said it, and so did Paul."

"Well, Paul and I are assholes." That made me laugh. "Dwayne told you about Laddie, I'm assuming?"

I nodded.

"There's an example of love, is it not?"

"Yeah, I suppose…"

"Daphne, don't look at this all as such a burden. Believe it or not, there are still many human attributes to being a vampire. I swear to God though, I have never had to go to such amends to try and convince somebody to finally feed, like I'm they're pathetic psychiatrist or something."

I smiled at Marko, slightly relieved for his comfort.

"But Daphne… falling in love has a price."

I paused, listening to what else he might have to say.

"I laughed when you asked me if I was ever in love, because that's all I could respond with - it's hard to think about the past, that you have to understand."

I realized I might be hearing something from Marko that may be thoroughly intriguing, yet disturbing.

"Before I became a vampire, I was in love with a girl. She was, in my view… perfect. There wasn't anything that I wouldn't do for her, and her the same for me. At that time, I worked the nightshift on weekends at the boat house. And one night, David walked in."

I felt my palms itch with sweat. I already knew what would happen next.

"He was decent, easy to talk to, and extremely charismatic. He came back several nights, giving me company while working alone at the boat house. One night, he brought with him a bottle of wine, and convinced me to take a break from the house and escort him to the beach. After I drank the wine, everything went downhill…"

I already knew what wine it was, but hearing what would happen next, I didn't know for sure if I'd like.

"I became… moody. I ate everything, but nothing seemed to satisfy me. I tore through a whole drugstore at one point, completely destroying the place out of how crazy I'd become, trying to see which foods would satisfy me. I didn't know what was wrong with me."

"David didn't tell you?"

"He hadn't told me _yet_."

I nodded, gulping.

"I laid on the beach one night, feeling as if I might die of an unknown thirst, and David found me. He showed me his true self that night - his vampire self. It became known to me that I would become what he was, and that I had been thirsty for blood all along. I refused to believe him, and ran from the beach. Only I ran into more trouble. She was on the beach that night, too."

My heart practically broke in two. I clenched at my shirt, my hands balling into fists. He didn't have to tell me who "she" was for me to figure it out. I didn't even want to hear anymore…

"I hadn't seen her in so long, because I had gone crazy from the wine. I almost ran from her, but she came up to me, and I hadn't seen her in what seemed to be forever... you have to understand that I loved her, Daphne. I never meant to harm her…"

I could already feel tears escaping my eyes as I stared down at the ground.

"Knowing what I was and what I was hungry for, I lost control that night on the beach. The girl that I loved had been my first kill. And to this day, I regret it all beyond the depths of my imagination, replaying a night over and over which could've been.

"But, Daphne… the moral of the story is not that you can't fall in love when you're a vampire. My story just had a more tragic ending - trust me, once you become a vampire, you can control yourself more easily. You just have to know what you're doing."

"I'm so sorry, Marko," I said to him, regretting every time I had been rude or outspoken towards him, regretting ever bringing the subject up. "I'm sorry I made you bring that all up again."

I was surprised to hear him chuckle. "It's all right, Daph."

"But what does it all mean?"

"It means… the longer you wait to take your first feeding, the less control you will have of yourself, and the more likely you are to take a life you will regret taking. But falling in love? Anybody can fall in love…"

"Even a vampire?" I asked, a lump in my throat.

Marko just smiled at me. "Even a vampire."

**I really wanted Daphne to have a little heart-to-heart with each one of the Lost Boys, so that's what the past few chapters have been... but now, onward with the story! The next chapter is about to make things interesting, and I will update it very soon! But for now, let me know what you think of this chapter! Thank you so much for all the previous comments, they are so supportive and are such great feedback! Thanks for reading guys! :D - Plainsong30**


	15. Saving Marko

I was awoken with a ferocity I'd never felt before, and opened my eyes to find Michael towering over me, his chin coated with a fine stubble and sunglasses covering his eyes.

"Michael… what are you-"

"C'mon, Daphne, I'm gonna get you out of here," he said to me, helping me off the couch.

I looked towards Star and Laddie to see that they were still there. "Take them," I demanded, pointing at the two slumbering across the cave. "Take them first…"

Michael seemed to understand me, and left my side. I could hear other voices too.

"Check it out, man! Vampire hotel!"

"It's sunk right into the ground!"

I rubbed my eyes and looked over to see Edgar, Alan, and Sam, the three of them glancing around. The cave was lighter than usual - it was daytime. I stared as their own eyes all fell on me.

"Edgar! Alan!" I cried in excitement, jumping from the couch and starting towards them.

"Daphne! What the hell are you doing here?" Edgar demanded, grabbing me by the arm. He was decked out with a bandana going across his forehead, all kinds of stakes attached to his Rambo-like armor.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" I cried. I looked over at Sam, who stared at me in confusion. His sandy hair was curly and windblown, and he was decked out in that cute blue sweater I remembered from the film. He stared at me with curiosity, yet seemed slightly cautious. "I don't think we've been introduced," I said, even though I knew exactly who he was.

"Daphne, this is Sam. Sam, this is Daphne," Alan replied.

Sam just nodded at me, then stared at me with concern. "Wait a minute, you're not a-"

"I'm only a half-vampire," I told him simply. I glanced over to see that Laddie was stirring - Michael had already taken Star. Laddie looked slightly frightened to see Star missing and that several strangers were in the cave. "It's all right, Laddie," I told him soothingly, approaching him and scooping him up. "C'mon, we're leaving."

Dear God, Laddie was heavier than I imagined, especially when heaving him up all those stairs. When I reached the top of the cliff and found Michael there, he was setting Star down into the backseat of Grandpa's convertible. I handed Laddie to Michael.

"Are you okay, Daph?" Michael asked me as he set Laddie down. He removed his sunglasses and peeled his jacket off, laying it over Star. Laddie and Star were fast asleep in the backseat.

"I'm fine," I told him with a nod, even though it was a complete lie. I stared at him, his eyes crinkling from the bright sunlight. I, too, was not use to the brightness. I had been so nocturnal for the past few days that seeing the sun was shocking, not to mention the weird habits I began to possess from being a half-vampire, prevented me from seeing sunshine. I shielded my eyes so I could get a good look at him.

"This will all end soon," Michael told me. He took both my hands in his and I stared down at them. "Trust me."

"I know," I told him. He embraced me and I returned the hug, taking in the pleasurable scent of his musk and resting my head on his breast. I felt him kiss me on the head. I felt excited and happy around him. He lifted my spirits from the downright terrifying events that I had been witnessing while in Santa Carla.

I was lost within a dream in Santa Carla…

This would be so much nicer if there weren't all the drama that surrounded us… I felt the satisfying comfort and safeness while hugging Michael. I didn't want to leave it and have to face what I knew I had to eventually do.

"Come with us, okay?" he told me. It was hard to say no to that. "I don't want you staying with those guys anymore. They're dangerous."

"Michael…" I began, but suddenly froze. Michael, Sam, and the Frog brothers were here to rescue Star and Laddie in the film. And they were also here to…

"What? What is it?" Michael asked, reading my horrified expression.

I gasped as I cried out loud. "Marko!"

I broke free from him and charged down the wooden steps, my heart about ready to explode from my chest.

"Daphne, wait!"

I ignored his confused cry and sprinted as fast as I could go. Please, no, no, no…

I crashed down the rocky entrance of the cave, slipping and falling in a huge heap at the bottom. I climbed back to my feet, ignoring the pain that was screaming through my aching body, and zipped through the crawl space leading to the Lost Boys' grotto, the sunlight almost completely blocked out. By the time I got in there, it was dark, but then two flashlights beamed in the darkness.

Edgar had already climbed up to the upper ledge of the grotto beside Marko, his stake readied.

"Say goodnight, bloodsucker."

"NO!"

My shrieks caught Edgar off guard, and right as he threw the stake into Marko, he turned towards me, the stake shifting towards the side of Marko's shoulder.

Marko screamed, his mouth opening to reveal a pair of razor teeth, his eyes glowing monstrously.

Edgar screamed. Alan screamed. Sam screamed in terror as Marko's blood spewed all over him and I. Edgar and Alan fell from the upper ledge and landed directly on us, Marko following close behind.

"Marko!" I wailed, my heart beating abnormally fast as I stared at the stake. He was hysterical, withering on the ground like some rabies-infected animal.

"You're dead meat!" I heard David scream from above us.

Edgar, Alan, and Sam all screamed and booked. I kneeled by Marko's side, trying to see in the darkness. He was still wailing, screams that I had never heard before in all my life. They were demonic screams, screams that didn't match that of a human's. Biting down on my tongue and ignoring all the blood that seemed to flow all over the place, I grabbed the stake with two hands, positioned my knee onto his chest, and yanked it right out of him.

Marko suddenly stopped howling, his eyes fluttering as he began to convulse.

"C'mon, man, you're okay, you're okay, you're gonna be okay!" I shrieked, grabbing Marko's cheeks and trying to stop him from shaking. His eyes were not staring at me, but off somewhere else, as if in his own world. I could feel the tears starting to pour over in my eyes.

I glanced at the wound in his chest, wondering if it had gotten anywhere close to his heart. To my relief, it had struck him directly in the collarbone - my screams had scared Edgar and caused him to miss Marko's chest. But that was too close… that was too damn close…

"Marko? Talk to me!" I yelped. He had stopped convulsing. His eyes were closed, and he opened them again, his vampire features fading from his face. He looked up at me and barely nodded.

"Those sons of bitches!" Paul screamed, appearing beside me. His eyes were glowing a deadly yellow, his teeth bared as his forehead stuck outward abnormally. "I'm gonna kill them! Those suckers are mine! Nobody fucking messes with my brother!"

I suddenly heard more screams from the entrance of the cave. David was hot on the trail of the boys.

I left my position beside Marko and fled the grotto, up through the crawl-space, and found David. Right behind the boys.

"DAVID! No, let them go!" I cried, grabbing David from behind and yanking him backwards with all my strength.

I heard the boys scream some more, then their voices slowly floated away - they were getting away. I was so relieved that I fell onto my back from the force, my fingers slipping from David's jacket.

I heard a low growl come from David - it sounded like it belonged to an animal from the underworld. My already slow beating heart just about had a heart attack.

"Daphne…" I heard David murmur. He sounded infuriated; deathly; terrifying. I clung to the cold stone underneath me and began to crawl away from him on my back, my elbows digging into the rock.

"What did you think you were doing?" he asked me, his tone so icy that I was afraid to answer him.

His shadowy silhouette turned towards me - I couldn't make out his face at all in the darkness, but I could've sworn that his yellow eyes were glowing in the dark. He was still in vampire-mode…

"David… I-"

He was in front of me before I could even think, his faces inches from mine as breath from a grueling roar blew into my face. His fingers were wrapping around my neck - not tightly, but enough to get my heart racing to a steady pace.

"_Don't_ interfere again," David growled menacingly. I felt myself gulp, his fingers slowly tightening around my throat. "Otherwise I'll kill you."

His teeth were clenched when he said those words. He was quiet and low when he said it, but there was no doubt in my mind - I believed him.

David threw me back against the ground and stood up, disappearing back into the boys' grotto. I sucked in a breath, trying to regain oxygen to my brain. I thought I was going to pass out. I was underfed and I had just been choked - it was easy enough for me to blackout to something like that.

Being human was the biggest disadvantage I had. If my plan was trying to kill Max, and survive David's threats at the same time, I seriously needed to make a decision. I could feel myself losing my grip on consciousness. David had been squeezing my neck too hard…

But it didn't matter if I would pass out now and wake up again. Because when I woke up, I had a plan to fulfill. I'd turn into a vampire, then finish Max before the rest of the boys had to die.

**I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update! I've been so busy the past couple of weeks! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hoped you enjoyed reading it as well. I think this chapter finally answers a few of your questions! Let me know what you think! :D - Plainsong30**


	16. You're One of Us Now

I was awoken yet again from the violent shake of my shoulders. I felt my eyelids flutter as they opened to darkness - but a face was staring down at me.

"Daph… wake up, will you?" Marko was standing over me yet again, but the usual smirk on his face was now replaced with concern and anxiousness.

My eyes immediately scrutinized his collarbone, the gory scene from before flashing before my eyes. I reached up to touch the area the stake had stabbed him - there was a hole in his jacket, but there was no gash or wound. He had completely healed.

"You're okay…" I mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you," he said with a smile. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine…" I murmured as he helped me up. I felt myself losing my balance, and Marko grabbed me for support.

"Take it easy. You don't look so good."

"I just…" I murmured. I felt so tired and exhausted. I hadn't eaten in what felt to be days, and my heart was aching in a pain I had never felt before. It hurt to swallow.

"C'mon. Let's head out," Marko told me. I realized that I had passed out in the tunnel that led to the boys' grotto, and Marko led me back through the tunnel and out into the open area of the cave. We were the only ones there. The cave was eerily silent.

"Here, sit down," Marko told me. He plopped me down on the same couch that I had laid on already too many times and sat down next to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You have to help me," I told him.

"Of course I'll help you," he replied. "But Daphne… I just wanted to thank you. You saved my life, you know."

I looked over at him to see a gentle smile on his face. He looked more human than he ever had before.

"I'm glad I could help," I told him.

"I'm in your debt now," he responded as he squeezed my shoulder. "Whatever you need… I'll help you, all right?"

An idea came into my mind as I stared at his crisp features. "I need to feed," I told him, remembering the decision I had made before blacking out.

His face suddenly glowed as his eyes widened, a deadly grin replacing the gentle smile that had previously been on his face. "Why didn't you say that sooner?"

_XxXxX_

"Where are the others?" I asked as Marko climbed onto his bike.

"They went to the Boardwalk," he told me, motioning for me to climb onto the bike behind him. "They decided to grab a meal before they went after those assholes that tried to kill me."

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. "What?"

So tonight was the night… tonight was the big finale, the night that the Lost Boys went to Grandpa's house and attacked Edgar, Alan, Sam, and the others. Marko hadn't been there for that scene in the film because he had already been staked - now he wasn't there tonight because he was with me, helping me become a vampire.

"I have to turn into a vampire. Fast," I told him, climbing onto his motorcycle and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Whoa. You're really eager all of a sudden. My pep-talk from last night really got to you, didn't it?" Marko chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. But just go! Go!" I urged him.

My panic relaxed when he finally kick-started the bike, and soon we were racing through the forest. The wind was whistling past my ears and soon the lights of the Boardwalk appeared in the distance. We emerged from the forest and began our little trek across the sandy beaches, bonfires glowing along the shore.

I was surprised when Marko suddenly began to slow down. Before I knew it, he had stopped the bike and turned it off, a mere fifty yards from a bonfire surrounded by drunks.

"What are you doing? We have to get to the Boardwalk!" I snapped, becoming impatient once again.

"You don't always have to find a meal at the Boardwalk, Daph," Marko told me in amusement. "Just look at that bonfire over there…"

I stared at the bonfire he was pointing at. It was surrounded by five people, all of them looking far too young to be drunk. Yet they were staggering around, laughing giddily and obnoxiously. If they were too young to drink, in my opinion, they were too young to die.

"No… I can't attack those people," I told him with a shake of my head.

"C'mon… let's just get it taken care of," Marko told me, climbing off the bike and helping me off. "The sooner it gets done, the better."

"But, Marko…" I protested in a whimper. It was like he was a friend pressuring me to do drugs.

"But what?" he asked impatiently. "I thought you had wanted to feed?"

"But… those people are our age. They're just innocent people…"

"Innocent? Look at them. How much you wanna bet they all told their parents they were having a quiet night in with their friends? These people are the least bit innocent…"

I shook my head, disappointed that he hadn't understood what I meant. "I can't take them… I won't take them."

Marko glowered at me, and I shifted where I stood uncomfortably. I didn't know why he had taken my response so angrily. He already knew how I felt about having to kill somebody in order to become a vampire, didn't he?

Then his eyes glazed past me and behind me, landing on something unknown. A smile stretched across his lips.

"How about him, then?" Marko asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and leading me in the opposite direction. We were headed towards darkness, farther down the beach to a more secluded area.

I had to squint to see who Marko was talking about. There was a couple further down the beach… although they were far from a couple. The woman, from the shape of her silhouette, was marching away from him, almost running away. He ran after her, caught up, and yanked her by the shoulder, spinning her around and throwing a right hook across her face. I was shocked to see her fall to the ground effortlessly, her vulnerability bringing out a hostility in me that I had never felt before.

I could feel my eyes glued on the man, who seemed to be nothing but an abusive boyfriend. He threw himself on top of the woman, his vulnerable girlfriend. He slapped her across the face this time, pinning her against the ground.

I left Marko's side as I crossed the beach, my heart beginning to pump ferociously. I didn't feel exhausted or weak anymore. In fact, I felt more alive than I had felt in a long time. My gums were aching to the point where they felt like they were on fire. I thought I was crying acid. My forehead felt like it was shifting away from my skull.

I licked my tongue over my teeth and felt two jagged canines jutting from my gums. And then I could smell it… a sweaty, metallic substance that entered my nose with an aroma that was so pleasurable it was to die for. I was hypnotized. I was across the beach faster than I realized, pacing towards the couple in determination.

"Let me go! Please!" I heard her beg. I could hear her sobs. They were ringing in my ears.

She was screaming as she tried to writher free, but she was no match for him - he must've been around six-foot-three, two-hundred pounds, well-built… but he wasn't any match for _me_.

I was behind him, and I grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him away from her. He fell backwards and onto his back. The woman frantically got to her feet and ran away. I watched her as she took off across the beach. Marko was nowhere to be found.

That's when I felt a strong arm wrap around my neck in a headlock. The man had pounced from behind me. I took his forearm into my hands and squeezed it as hard as I could. I could hear him screaming. I raised his arm over me and spun him around so that I was now standing behind him. I twisted his arm in a motion so fast and violent that he hadn't had time to react. He collapsed onto his knees, crying out in agony as his forearm cracked.

I was becoming a person I didn't recognize, a form taking over me that I had never known before.

I could hear his heart pounding, the veins screaming, the sweat coming through his pores. The smell of it all was… overpowering. My mouth was watering.

"Please…" he begged. I could hear him sobbing. "Please… don't…"

I didn't feel any pity whatsoever. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was a controlling man who hated women. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was beginning to view him as my meal.

I walked around his kneeling position so that I could face him. I took in the fear and confusion in his eyes as he took in my vampire features.

"Oh, God… please… don't hurt me…"

I ignored him again. "Good riddance," was all I replied.

Then I grabbed him by the hair, forced his head to the side, and bit into what had been calling me all along.

_XxXxX_

I was laying on my back in the sand, staring up at a star-free sky. We were still too close to the city to see any of the stars. They were swallowed up by the lights.

Marko had come and taken a seat beside me. I turned on my side and let out an ear-splitting howl. It felt like my heart had just exploded, like my ribcage had cracked right down my sternum, exposing a bloody heart to the surface.

I stared at my chest to see if any of that was really happening, but I looked fine. Marko only rubbed my shoulder as I keeled over and screamed. It was as if he were a good friend who held my hair up while I threw-up in the toilet after a bad night of drinking.

My spine was tingling. My eyes were tearing up - I thought I was crying out acid again. I thought my bones were rattling beneath my muscle and shattering to pieces.

Another agonized cry escaped my lips as I grasped at the sand and curled up in a ball.

Then it stopped.

I was breathing hysterically and suddenly realized… I didn't have to. The sweat that had been pouring out of my pores earlier had stopped. My body seemed to have lowered its temperature, and my heart…

I reached up to touch my chest, to try and feel that familiar beat that I had taken for granted. It ceased to exist.

"Hello beautiful," Marko told me as I sat up. His voice was like bells to my ears. I turned towards him and practically found him to be glowing - I could see him so easily in the darkness that it didn't even seem to be that dark out.

I looked away from him and towards the ocean - the waves were moving in such an effortless beauty that I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. Wind glided over my skin and tickled my hair. The sand that seeped between my fingers felt like cool, powdery dust.

And the sounds. I looked towards the bonfires that now seemed to be miles away down the beach. I could hear every voice, every sound… I could hear the joke one boy told his friend, the excuse one guy told his girlfriend… the crack of the fire as a spark flew through the air, the clanging of beer bottles.

"This is amazing," I explained, my eyes zigzagging across the beach, my head turning in whirlwinds as I took in everything I heard.

"That's more like it," said Marko. "You're one of us now."


	17. Max

We drove down to the Boardwalk as fast as Marko's bike would take us. When we got there, I was almost overwhelmed with the activity - my new vampire senses were picking up all kinds of scents, delicious and disgusting. I could hear so many voices that I thought I might get a headache. But headaches no longer existed when one became immortal.

The two of us walked down the Boardwalk in a rushed manner, glancing around as we tried to locate the rest of the pack.

"They aren't here," Marko suddenly told me.

"How do you know?" I asked in surprise.

"I can't smell them… we vampires have a very distinct scent. You can smell it on me, can't you?"

When he told me that, I couldn't help but take a small sniff of the air. There was a strange scent that I couldn't explain - musky yet soft, almost a whiff of incense. It was hard to explain.

"I think I know what you're talking about," I told him. I took another whiff of the air, trying to find that scent among the Boardwalk. I could only smell it off Marko. "You're right. They aren't here."

"C'mon. They're probably already at Michael's place," Marko told me. "We're missing out on the fun."

My heart dropped to my stomach. I tried to remember the events of the film… Max was on a date with Lucy. They were at Max's house having dinner… would I honestly burst in and kill Max right before Lucy's eyes?

Or…

I would go with Marko and try to stop the fighting - if it continued, and I didn't arrive on time, Paul, Dwayne, and David would all be killed.

"Or wait," Marko explained, breaking my thoughts. "I smell something."

I stared at his face as he turned around and glanced around the Boardwalk. I smelled the air again too… and then the scent filled my nostrils again. It was coming further down the Boardwalk.

I turned to see the rest of the Lost Boys. The three of them were leaning against the railing, taking in the view of four teenage girls walking past them, leers coating their faces.

They hadn't gone to Michael's yet. I wasn't too late.

"C'mon, Daph," explained Marko.

I didn't answer him as he started down the Boardwalk towards the rest of the pack. My feet were frozen as I thought of my plan.

Not only had my senses increased in sensitivity, but my mind worked faster as well. The plan formulated within my head in nearly less than a second, and as soon as Marko turned away from me, I ran as fast as I could down the Boardwalk. It would've taken a human at least five whole minutes to dash down the Boardwalk. It took me less than ten seconds, and being a complete blur, nobody seemed to have caught sight of me.

But I was running from another vampire. I didn't have much time. I pulled myself onto Marko's bike, kick-started it, and took off onto the beach. I could hear Marko's voice as if he were right beside me. _Where are you going, Daphne?_

My ears were so sensitive that I could hear him talking even one-hundred yards away. I ignored it and kicked the bike up a gear, egging it to go faster.

I didn't stop until I went down the beach and onto the main road. It didn't matter whichever way I went - the boys would still be able to fine me. The only thing on my mind at this point was taking care of Max. Maybe if he were gone, then the Lost Boys would no longer be bound to his orders, to his power… they'd be free Lost Boys, at that.

Hopefully… hopefully that's how it would all turn out.

I kicked the bike up another gear as if I had been riding it my whole life, and followed the chilling aroma that led me down the road. I finally pulled the bike up to the long gated path that led to the entrance of Max's house.

_XxXxX_

I could smell Thorn before I even saw him. I could hear his heartbeat in my ears, a pace quicker than that of a human's. The scent of dog entered my nostrils like a torturous treat. I hated that fucking dog. He almost killed Lucy in the film… it was time he was taken care of.

I pulled the gate open and ripped off two, large wooden planks in the gate's structure. Clutching one in each hand, I started down the wooden path, my stride quick and determined.

I could hear Thorn already galloping down the path. I could see his white coat flashing in the darkness - he had already smelled me from a mile away.

He was barreling towards me now, barking madly like the hound from hell that he was. He was edging closer, and closer…

I spit at the side of the wooden railing just as soon as Thorn leapt towards me, his head level with my own. Then I brought the wooden plank forward and rammed it right through him.

When he cried out with a yelp, I almost felt bad, then tried to remind myself of who he was protecting and how he had almost killed Lucy doing it.

"Thorn?"

My head snapped up towards Max's house. I could hear his voice, but I couldn't see him. His porch light was on, and I could distinctly make out the sound of a single heartbeat - Lucy's heartbeat.

I snuffed the air and passed Thorn's still body. I could taste the incense scent that meant _vampire_. Only this scent seemed older… more ancient. I wondered how old Max really was.

I could hear the shuffle of Lucy's footsteps as she approached the front door with Max. An aroma of soft, floral perfume entered my nostrils. Her sweet, metallic scent brought a longing I had never felt before. She smelled lovely…

But never, would I ever, lay a hand on Lucy. She was a character whom I had grown up to love. I was saving her from the antagonist… the bastard who caused all the mischief.

"Max, what's the matter?" she asked him, a small bit of concern in her voice. She hadn't liked that dog anymore than I had.

"I just heard Thorn… he sounded extremely upset for some reason," Max explained to her. "Thorn?"

I could feel a smile stretching across my lips. He had to know that I was here. "Come and save him, old man," I said in barely a whisper. Lucy couldn't have heard me at all, but Max…

There was a silence for a moment, then Max said, "I'm going to go out and find him, Lucy. I'll be back soon."

"Do you want me to come with?"

"No, no, that's all right. He's probably just wandering around the yard, chasing after a stray rabbit."

"Alright, be careful," Lucy told him. I could hear the brush of her hand as she touched his shoulder, the concern in her voice melting within my ears. She didn't want to come out and look for that stupid dog in the least bit.

I tried to remind myself that I was saving her - Max was not meant for her. But this all seemed like it was going to be harder than I realized.

"I'm right here," I whispered. I closed my eyes and listened. I could feel Max as he walked towards me. "I'm right here."

I gripped the second stake in my hand so tightly that I left an indent in the wood, then dove forward and drove the stake right into Max's chest.

But Max wasn't where I had thought he was anymore. I practically fell into thin air as I drove it through what I thought was Max. I was caught off guard, confused as I gained my balance and spun around. The front door fell shut - Lucy was out of earshot.

"You amusing girl," I heard him say. I couldn't tell where he was coming from. It sounded like his voice was only my imagination. "You really thought you could fool me, that you could destroy the great… Max."

"What's so great about you?" I asked, gripping the stake with venomous in my tone. "You've created a group of… teenage vampires out of your own greed. A family? You call that twisted bunch a family?"

"Oh, yes, I would, Daphne," he said to me.

I had climbed over the railing of the wooden path, and had been ambling towards the nearby woods. But now I was frozen. "You know my name?"

"I know everything about you," Max replied. I still couldn't tell where his voice was coming from.

I licked my lips. "David's been keeping you informed?" 

"David's always kept me informed, like a good son… you know what I don't understand? How you rely on the boys so much… how you don't have a home… how resistant you've been."

"I have a home," I said in defense, slightly offended by the comment in some bizarre way.

"You say so," he responded, "but why do you stay with the boys every night? If you ask me, you were asking to be a part of our family… yet you were so resistant. You've yet to explain your odd behavior, my dear. You cannot tear yourself from the boys… yet you defy becoming a vampire."

"I don't defy it anymore," I told him through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you seem to basking in it now," he told me with a chuckle. "What you so long resisted you've finally given in to. Can you not see what you've become, Daphne? The very thing you've feared all along."

"How the hell do you know what I fear?"

"David may keep me informed… but it's not as if I don't check up on you all every once and a while."

"You creep," I spat, not thinking of anything better to say.

"So disrespectful to your elders," Max replied, tsk-tsking. "I have many manners that I've yet to teach you."

"I'm not learning any fucking manners from you!" I howled. "It ends right here, right now! So why don't you come out from wherever it is that you're hiding and face me, vampire-to-vampire."

"If you insist, Daphne… but I have to ask you one question."

"What?" I growled, so impatient that I actually stomped my foot where I stood.

"Doesn't it bother you? After all that time of resisting, you finally gave in. You gave in to becoming a vampire, and in the process, lost yourself."

I stood where I was, frozen. His words were like razorblades cutting into my skin.

"Look at what you've become, Daphne. Everything you ever feared… you haven't just become a vampire. You've become a monster as well."

I stood where I was like a stone statue, my eyes faltering as I focused on the ground. I looked over at Thorn's still body, then to the stake in my hand lowered beside me. "I'm not a-"

But before I could even protest, Max appeared out of nowhere in front of me. His glasses were gone and his eyes were glowing a terrifying color, his face deformed and his teeth shimmering in the darkness. He smiled at me. He laughed, his voice only resembling that of the devil himself.

And before I could even raise the stake and force it through him, he whipped his fist across my face so fast that my vampire senses couldn't even catch it. I collapsed to the ground, my face stinging only for a moment, then looked up to see Max standing over me.

He had the stake raised above him, his eyes gleaming crazily, his teeth stretching into a glimmering smile. His fangs jutted from his lips monstrously.

I closed my eyes and relaxed, taking in a scent of the incense that Max gave off - older and more poignant. A second incense seemed to hit my nostrils…

I waited for the impact, wondering and hoping that I would wake up at home… or if I would die in this nightmare of a dream in Santa Carla.

**Damn... shit just got REAL! Holy macaroni guys, to be quite honest, we are almost at the end of this fic. Which seems impossible to say because I feel like this thing has taken me forever to write! Thank you so flippin' much for reading it all, and for your reviews! The next chapter will be updated soon, and I promise you no long wait, I swear. Thanks for reading, and please, please let me know what you think! - Plainsong30**


	18. Chaos at the Emersons'

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it - waited for that slice of wood to cut through my sternum and strike my dead, blackened heart. Maybe if I died, I'd get to go home - I'd wake up in my own world. Or maybe not… maybe I'd die, and my damned soul would be sucked down to…

The sound of cracking bones and an agonized, painful cry entered my ears, breaking my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see Max, the wooden stake falling from his hands…

A fist was outstretched from Max's very chest - in the fist was Max's heart, a lump of flesh similar to deteriorated coal. I laid there on the ground, my eyes bugging out of my head as Max slumped forward and fell to the earth, dead.

If I had a live and working heart, it probably would've had a heart attack.

Marko was standing before me - he had come up from behind Max and barreled his own fist right through Max's back and out of Max's chest. Marko still gripped Max's dead heart in his fist.

"Marko…" I choked, wondering if I might start sobbing from the fear I had felt earlier. "What did… why did…"

"I'm in your debt, remember?" he told me. A look was on his face that I couldn't quite read properly. It was a look of pain, and of guilt. He didn't want to kill Max, but he did it for me…

"Oh, Marko."

I climbed to my feet as he dropped Max's heart, then embraced him with thankfulness. "Thank you, thank you…"

"No need to thank me," he barely whispered. "I owed you one."

"I know, but… that was so much more than what I had done for you," I told him, my voice choking, yet I hadn't started crying. I had been expecting myself to be bawling at this point, but for some reason, crying and being a vampire didn't quite go well together.

I bit down on my lip and looked up at Marko. I hadn't asked him to do that for me, but he had done it anyways, only because he was in my debt. It was then that I realized how extremely loyal Marko was.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not," I told him. "He was your… father, in a way. I forced you to-"

"You didn't force me to do anything, Daph," he told me strongly. He grabbed me by the shoulders and made me look up at him. "I wanted to do it. It was the only way to save you."

I gave him another hug, then Marko yanked out a small silver flask from his jacket, poured it over Max's dead body, and threw a lighter on the soiled mess. Bright yellow flames came alive in the dark.

"What about Lucy?" I asked.

"Who?" Marko murmured.

"Michael and Sam's mother… she was on a date with Max right now. If she comes out here and sees this-"

"Why do you think I'm burning it all?"

"But she needs an explanation, doesn't she?"

Marko shook his head. "That's one thing you don't get a say over when being a vampire. You don't get an explanation."

He grabbed me by the hand and yanked me away from the scene, the sound of Lucy's heart entering my ears. Before it had been at a calm and relaxed pace. Now it was beating like it was the end of the world. I could already hear her cries as Marko and I sped off around the corner of the street from the house.

_XxXxX_

Now I was praying, begging, anything… hoping that maybe we weren't too late. My dead heart was lost in my throat as I clung to Marko for dear vampire-life, the colors passing by in trippy blurs, the noise of everything around us flooding into my ears like treacherous waves. It was almost unbearable.

"We have to get there! Fast! Step on it!" I ordered Marko, having already been banging my fists into his back.

"Cut it out! Jeez! You know that you _do_ get stronger when you become a vampire," Marko snapped impatiently, revving the bike once more.

"And if you don't go faster, my next punch is going right for your face."

Marko revved the bike again. We were going down a winding road on the outskirts of town, the silhouette of a huge, cabin-like home coming into view. Marko skidded to a halt, but I was already off the bike, barreling into the house.

I kicked down the front door like it was a mere soccer ball, then burst into the hallway just in time to see Dwayne fly across the chandelier. He did a front kick right into Michael, who collapsed onto the floor like a rag-doll. Star, Laddie, Alan, and Edgar were all galloping upstairs.

"Michael!" Sam's voice rang out in my ears like glass shattering the surface. Dwayne… he would survive only for a few more minutes, but Paul…

"Marko keep out of this fucking house!" I ordered, shoving Marko back onto the porch.

"What?" he replied, a perplexed expression on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Even though you all are vampires, you end up getting defeated by a bunch of teenage burn-outs in the movie!"

"Movie?" Marko looked even more confused. "Daphne, what the hell are you talking about?"

"And you could still die, so I'm not taking any chances! You're not invited in!"

"What, are you kidding-"

I slammed the door shut before he could say anything else. He could still get inside the house without an invitation… unless he decided to listen to me.

"Well, look who decided to show up," I heard Dwayne laugh. "And what's this? Daphne, you finally gave in, didn't you?"

I couldn't quite react with Dwayne's comment while staring into the face of a horrified Sam, who couldn't stop screaming Michael's name. Michael, at this point, had sat up at the sound of my name.

The most delicious, indulgent scents were entering my nostrils - three humans were in the house, three half-vampires, and two other vampires, not counting Marko, were in the house. I picked that up just from taking a whiff of the air in the room…

The three humans, Sam, Edgar, and Alan all made my mouth water. I could practically taste the sweet, salty taste of their blood beating through their veins. For a moment I shivered where I stood, stretching my neck and closing my eyes, but Dwayne's voice interrupted my daydream.

"You know what this means, Daph?" Dwayne continued, as if we weren't in the middle of a brawl. "You're one of us now. You're apart of the family!" He gave a cheery, loud chuckle, his teeth flickering in the little light.

"Daphne? You're here?" Michael questioned.

"Michael, I-"

"Yep, and smelling as ripe as a new-born vampire should smell," Dwayne chuckled. "You see that, Mikey? Your girlfriend isn't the pure human she was before."

"What are you talking about?" Michael slurred, standing up with the help of Sam.

"You're a vampire? She's a vampire, man! Michael, you're hearing this right? You know what this means? It means she freakin' killed somebody! Daphne killed somebody!" Sam cried, screaming at such high vocals that it was hurting my ears.

"Michael, I can explain everything to you-"

"Michael, she's a vampire now, man! She murdered somebody to become what she is!"

Michael had the most perturbed, shocked look on his face as he stared at me, probably unable to take in the information he was hearing. It was breaking my heart. I needed to talk to him, but now was the worst time of all.

"Shut up!" I roared, knowing that this was not the right way for Michael to discover my immortality. "Dwayne! You asshole! Get your ass down here right now!"

Dwayne, who was now chilling from the chandelier, only laughed down at me as he slapped his knee. While chewing on my lip, I ran up, jumped from the floor, and grabbed Dwayne by the ankle, yanking him down to eye level and practically throwing him to the ground.

"If you don't hurry the fuck up and listen to me, Paul could die!" I screamed, grabbing Dwayne by the collar of his leather jacket and dragging us both up the stairs.

"You're strong for a young one, aren't you?" Dwayne replied, cocking an eyebrow as he yanked himself free from my firm grip. "I'll go if asked nicely, no need to strangle me trying."

"We don't have time to go nicely!" I roared. I sprinted up the stairs in a complete blur, raced down the hallway and entered what I thought maybe was the bathroom. My hunch was right.

"You thought you could try killing Marko, huh?" Paul cried, his voice entering my ears. "Well that was my _brother_!"

I spun on the spot to see Paul at an opposite doorway of the bathroom, grabbing Edgar and Alan by the scruffs of their necks.

"Garlic don't work, boys," he slurred, bringing them each close, his vampire eyes glowing and his teeth jutting out abnormally.

"No, STOP!" I cried, cutting off Edgar's "death-breath" line.

I flew towards them and crashed into the three of them, all of us going down in a big wrestling pile on the floor.

"Daphne!" Paul exclaimed in surprise. "Well whaddya know? And you're a vampire? Well, honey, we didn't even have time to celebrate!" Paul hooted. He grabbed me by the cheeks and laid a sloppy kiss on my forehead. "Right after this, we're having the biggest damn party you ever seen! I'm so proud of my wittle baby-"

"Shut up, man! And get up on your feet and fight!" Edgar snapped, pointing a stake in our direction.

"Dude, Edgar, she's a vampire! She's a vampire!" Alan explained repetitively, yanking on his brother's shirt as he pulled himself to his feet.

"You joined the dark side, huh, Daphne?" Edgar asked me gruffly, pointing a stake in my direction.

"Edgar, there's no dark side," I replied cheekily. "And this isn't Star Wars, okay?"

"You want a fight?" Paul interrupted with a hoot. "Huh? Sucker? Well I'll give you a fight, baby!"

"NO! No fighting!" I cried, diving forward and shoving Edgar and Alan right through the doorway of the bathroom. "Get out of the bathroom, Paul! Get out, get OUT!"

"What's the matter with you?" Paul asked me in skepticism. He shook out his jacket and was standing… right beside the tub full of holy water. "You're a hot new-born vampire, and you're acting like-"

My eyes averted from Paul and towards Sam's white and gray husky, Nanook… who was now sprinting across the bathroom and right for Paul.

"NO! PAUL!" I cried in a fury. I threw myself at him, and together the two of us crashed into the confused Dwayne who fell backward and onto the floor. Nanook flew right above us and into the tub of acid - which sent a splash of holy water directly onto my thy and onto Paul's knee.

I went crazy. That unimaginable pain was like liquid fire, drenching my leg and sizzling right into my skin. Paul was screaming too, his voice unlike anything I've ever heard - besides drowning in a tub of acid like in the movie.

We both went chaotic, standing up and practically barreling through the door out of the unimaginable pain. Liquid fire maybe? Or lava?

We ended up getting into a tangled web of limbs with Dwayne, who was still laying on the floor at this point, and ended up tripping, somersaulting, and clinging to Dwayne in the process, right in front of the stairway.

And then Paul stood up, and slipped…

And all three of us went crashing down the stairs. This big ball of tangled arms and legs, screaming about acid and fire and whatnot. I laid there on the floor, complaining about the pain. Paul was right beside me, going on about it just as much.

"This madness is ending _now_!" a voice suddenly interrupted.

My vision was only a blur as I felt someone grab me by the neck and throw me into the wall. I opened my eyes and clenched the wrist that strangled my throat, only realizing that it belonged to David.

He was staring at me, a hatred filling his eyes that only caused terror to rise into my body. His eyes were yellow and his teeth were bared, ready to pounce like some bloodthirsty hound.

"D-David," I stammered, trying to talk with his fist still wrapped around my neck. It wasn't that I couldn't breath - that wasn't a problem when you're dead. I just had trouble talking…

"You. Killed. Max," was all he could murmur.

"Max?" I heard Edgar and Alan explain in the background. "But Max… he passed the test!"

"I _told_ you he was the head vampire!" I shouted, but was cut off when David slammed me into the wall once more.

"David, what are you doing, man?" I heard Paul mumble. "Let her go, she didn't mean any harm."

David slapped Paul's hand away, who had begun to reach over to touch David's shoulder.

"Did you hear what I said?" David growled. "She killed Max!"

"I killed Max," another voice interrupted.

I looked over to see that Marko had entered the house. He was staring at David. "C'mon, David. If there's somebody you want to kill, it's gonna be me."

I was shocked at Marko's words - he had stepped forward in something meant between David and I, and took the heat. I didn't understand it, and was just as bewildered as David was. But it didn't take long for me to react.

"No!" I wailed. I broke free from David's grip and crossed the living room. "David, don't you dare lay a finger on him!"

"Marko…" David murmured. "You killed Max?"

"He owed me a favor," I answered for Marko. "I was trying to defend myself from Max. My intention was to kill him, but… he was going to end up killing me, because I wasn't strong enough."

Dwayne let out a loud, uproarious laugh as he adjusted his leather jacket. "Daphne… are you kidding me? You honestly thought you could go after Max yourself?" He continued laughing and shaking his head as if it were the joke of the century.

I only sent him a deadly glare. "Shut up, Dwayne." I tried to ignore my own stupidity and turned back to David. "But Marko… saved me. If he hadn't killed Max, I wouldn't be here."

"You've been nothing but a pain in the ass since we first met you," said David in a low voice. "I think we'd have been better off if Max had just killed you anyways."

"Daphne… you killed Max?" Paul stammered.

"Christ, haven't you been listening to anything, Paul?" Marko cried as he smacked his forehead. "_I_ killed Max!"

"But… I thought Daphne just said she was trying to kill Max?" Paul replied, scratching his head in confusion.

"Yes, I was, but I couldn't. Marko ended up saving me," I explained with a huff.

"Ohh…" replied Paul, nodding and smiling. Only his expression fell again. "Wait, why were you trying to kill Max?"

"Because… because killing the head vampire makes any other half-vampires human again."

"It's true!" I heard a voice exclaim.

I looked over to see Star with Laddie in her arms, the most glorious of smiles on her face. "We _are_ human again, Laddie! We're human again!" Then she came running towards me, embracing me in a hug so tight it would've hurt like hell had I still been human. "Thank you, Daphne," she cried as she clung to me, tears breaking from her eyes.

"You're welcome," I smiled, returning the hug. I almost felt like crying too… gaaah…

"Wait… Michael! That means you're human again!" Sam cried in animation, wrapping his arms around his older brother's neck.

But no happiness coated Michael's face. He was staring at me and only me, and he pulled himself away from his brother and crossed the room towards me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and ignored the "OW-OW!" that Paul had cried across the room.

"Daphne…" he murmured. "Shouldn't you be human again, too?"

I squirmed where I stood as I touched his hand on my shoulder. "I… yes, but-"

"But what?" he stammered. He licked his lips and looked away from me, then back. "Are you trying to tell me that-"

"Yeah," I said softly. "Yes, I'm a vampire, Michael."

**Not sure if I'm taking this story in the right direction, but I'm going to trust my gut and go for it! Thanks for your reviews, I'm really happy to hear what you guys think! I am excited yet sad to say that there is ONE chapter left... hang in there! And let me know what you think! We have almost approached the end! - Plainsong30**


	19. The End

Michael's eyes locked and he looked away from me. I felt a strange, guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Michael, I'm sorry… but it was the only way for me to try and kill Max."

"But you didn't kill him," Michael retorted. "Marko killed him."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you became a vampire for nothing."

"I… I couldn't take it anymore, I'm sorry. I just… I hadn't fed in so long-"

I stopped speaking when he cringed from my words, looking as if he might pop like a cork.

"You're honestly that disgusted with me?" I asked him softly.

"No, I'm not…" He ran his hands through his hair stressfully. "We'd all been hungry, Daphne! None of us had given in though!" he suddenly cried, a noise so surprising that it made me jump. The entire room had its eyes on us, and it wasn't comfortable to have the spotlight like that. He ran his hands through his hair again and leaned towards me, speaking softer. "I just… if I had known, I would've… become a vampire with you."

My heart swelled a size larger. "Oh, Michael. That's not what was suppose to happen-"

"What are you talking about? You always talk as if the future's already written out for us! I wasn't suppose to be a vampire, I was suppose to be with Star…" I looked over at Star when he said that, who only bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's right!" I bellowed defensively. "You don't understand! You don't understand what I've seen!"

"Well what have you seen?" Michael growled. "Is this the ending we were suppose to have? Max dies, everybody lives?"

I fell silent. "No…" I replied, glancing in the direction of the Lost Boys. "Well, mostly."

"Something different was suppose to happen, huh?" Michael asked, seeming to play along with me.

"Yes. All the Lost Boys were suppose to die," I told him.

"The what-boys?" laughed Edgar.

"You heard me! Them! The boys! The vampire boys!" I pointed at Marko, David, Dwayne, and Paul. Paul pointed at himself childishly and spread a boyish smile across his lips, apparently unaware of the seriousness of the conversation.

"Tonight they were suppose to die! Marko wasn't even suppose to exist tonight - he would've died earlier, had I not saved him when Edgar tried to stab him with a stake!"

Marko suddenly looked angry. "Yeah, man. Which one of you is Edgar again?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

"That's not the point!" I howled. "The point is that Max is dead, and the Lost Boys are alive! If anything, I've set you free!"

"Free?" David asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, you bastard. Don't look at me like I'm stupid. You were always under the control of Max. He was always giving you orders, because he was your maker. And if you ask me, that's a shitty way for a maker to treat their children. He was forcing you to turn kids to become a part of his little family. He was going to turn Lucy! Your mother!" I told Michael, wheeling back to him.

"Mom… she was with him tonight," he replied, his eyes widening. "Is she-"

"She's okay," I answered quickly, remembering how we left her with the scene of Max's yard burning up into an inferno. "She might be a little shaken when you see her again though…" I exchanged a look with Marko.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

That was when we heard the screech of tires in the front of the house and the flash of headlights through the window.

"It's grandpa," Sam told us.

I looked up to exchange a look with David.

"We're leaving," David exclaimed. "Head home, boys. You too, Daphne. We're not done talking."

"You're not gonna kill us then?" Sam questioned in surprise.

David turned back to him with a smirk on his face. "Not yet, anyways."

Sam gulped in return as David fled the room. "Wait, what are we suppose to tell grandpa?" Sam asked Michael.

"Tell him…" I started, thinking. "Tell him the truth."

"The truth?" Sam repeated dubiously. "You want us to tell our seventy-something-year-old grandpa that we were attacked by vampires tonight?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Trust me."

"Wait, Daphne, you can't just leave, we need to talk about this," Michael told me.

"We will, Michael. Okay? I promise. I promise you we will," I told him. At this point, the boys were all running out of the house, disappearing within the darkness outside. I turned and followed, but felt Michael hold me back, his hand still gripping mine.

"Just be safe, okay?" he told me.

I turned back to him and took in those dark, mysterious eyes. He was once so confused and exhausted, and now he was back to his old self - he was human again. I leaned forward and kissed him gently, ignoring the temptation of having a taste of that warm blood that ran through his veins.

And as I turned away to leave, I tried to ignore the guilt that I felt for betraying him…

_XxXxX_

Had I not become a vampire, I never would've known what flying was like. And it was amazing.

It was a weightless feeling. The wind touched you at ever angle and every direction. It was like you were meeting with the sky and touching the moon. And the view was amazing…

There was still so much to discuss, and when I got to Hudson's Bluff, David was waiting there for me on that cliff, the rest of the group close behind.

"How did you even know that Max was the head vampire?" Marko asked me. He was crouched down by the edge of the cliff, running his fingers through some powdery dirt.

"I… guessed," I answered.

"You didn't guess," David told me. "You know something. You knew everything that was going to happen, didn't you?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" I told them angrily. Now it was all coming out - and I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not, but at this point, I no longer really cared.

"How? How do you know everything about us? And what would happen?" Paul asked me.

"I think she's full of shit," Dwayne interrupted. "She's just trying to mess with us. She hadn't brought any of this up earlier. The human she fed on… the guy must've been on acid or something."

"Yeah, he was pretty fucked up when she went down on him," Marko chuckled.

"I'm not on acid!" I cried to the wind. I cringed as I stomped my foot out of anger - an unnatural pain had shot through my thigh. I bent over to examine the wound on my leg from the holy water. It was hideous - spots of flesh missing and boiling a disturbing red color. I gulped and looked away. "I'm telling you the truth!" I continued. "I saved your life! Besides, can you not see what I've done for you? I've freed you! I've freed you from Max! You don't have to take any orders from him anymore, no more turning people into vampires because Max ordered you to."

"Max was my maker," David told me through gritted teeth. "You may think you've done something right for once, but you haven't. You've only made things worse. You killed him."

"I understand that, David. You're my maker, okay? But sometimes… I just didn't think the relationship between you all and him was okay. He was leading you around like his puppets!"

"She's got a point, David," Dwayne exclaimed. "We didn't have much of a free will around here when he was alive."

"Yeah, man. Now we can go into the video store whenever the hell we want!" barked Paul, his hair waving in the wind.

"Shut up, Paul," David spat, his eyes only on me.

"Haven't you been listening to what she's saying?" Dwayne interrupted. "We don't have a leader anymore. We can do whatever we want. There's nobody above us now to tell us what to do."

"I'm still here. I'm still the leader. And Max was like a father to me," David murmured, turning his back towards me and towards the other boys.

"But you don't understand. I had to do it! I had to do it to save Michael, Star, and Laddie!" I retorted. I realized that I felt a hard cold gaze from Dwayne, and I glanced over at him only to see him look away from me. It was then that I realized that I had taken something precious away from Dwayne… his only son, if those are the right words. I felt a hard feeling in the pit of my gut.

"No, Daphne, _you_ don't understand. You think you've saved the day, but you haven't. Max is gone, and now we're left here alone," David retorted, anger coating his deep, murmuring voice. "We're here to fend for ourselves now. We've no guidance whatsoever."

"Guidance?" I squeaked. "You're worried about guidance? David, sometimes it's good to flee the nest and be independent once and a while. You don't need Max… you're all alive now. You wouldn't have survived had I not been here! You all would've been dead! Since I knew how everything would unfold, I knew how to save you all!"

"And how did you know that?" David asked. "What are you? Psychic?"

"Maybe she's a witch," Marko explained.

"More like a bitch," David corrected.

"Hey, that's my girl you be talkin' 'bout," snapped Paul, approaching me and wrapping a supporting arm around my shoulders.

"I'm not any of those things!" I growled, struggling out of Paul's arm. "I can't… I can't explain it to you, I just can't." _None of you are real. You're all characters from a movie that I somehow got sucked into. _"You just… you wouldn't understand."

"Understand what? How hard can it be to explain?" David pressed.

"I believe you, Daph," interjected Marko. I looked up at him. "I mean, we're alive… and you did save me in the knick of time."

"That could've just been coincidence, Marko," Dwayne told him.

"Or, she could be right."

"I mean, we'll never know, right?" Paul laughed. "Do you know what's gonna happen from here on out, Daph?"

"No… I… I haven't a clue what's going to happen now. With you alive, and Max out of the picture?" I explained. "I can't fathom what will happen next."

"Whatever it is that's going on in that crazy mind of hers," Dwayne responded, "Daph's apart of the group now. We initiated the transformation, and we got it. If anything, it's our fault that we made Daphne a vampire - so there's no use in turning back and regretting it, right? Besides, I feel like she'll make a good addition to the team." Dwayne's lips leaked into a soft smile. I couldn't help but return it.

"You're right, Dwayne," David answered. I was surprised how well he'd taken Dwayne's words. "Daphne is and always will be our responsibility from now one." David suddenly turned to me, his gaze darkening, a shiver running up my spine. "That includes whether or not we'll have to keep her or get rid of her. We added her into this team and we can take her out. All it takes is a little… push."

I gasped as he came towards me faster than I realized, felt his hands grab my shoulders, and shove me so hard that I lost my footing and fell over the edge of the cliff. I could hear the wind whistling past me and I could see the starry sky above me.

Only I could do nothing but fall through the dead air. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fly. I was nothing but a rag-doll. I felt my body spiral down towards the water, and right before I hit that black liquid, I thought I heard someone scream my name.

I expected the fall to be wet - I expected maybe to drown. But suddenly I was rolling along dry rocks, somersaulting, and finally I came to a stop.

My cheek rubbed against a cool, stone floor. I could hear banging and growling. I opened my eyes slowly to find myself trapped in total darkness, the mere flash of strobe lights glowing ahead of me.

I could hear someone, or more easily smell someone, who was nearby. The scent of them and the sound of their feet against the stone floor described their very being. Male, six feet, one-hundred and seventy-five pounds… with a dash of soap and cologne.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" I heard the man ask.

I looked up to see a figure with the face of Freddy Krueger standing before me. He held forward a fake, knife-covered hand.

"What?" I murmured.

"You had a nasty fall it looked like. You gonna be okay?"

I suddenly recognized this place… it was the… haunted house!

"Y-yeah, I'm gonna be okay," I said, my head still spinning as I traipsed down the hallway of the haunted house. "I'm… I'm back! Oh, my God! I'm back!"

"Yep, you're sure back," the guy with the Freddy mask murmured, patting me on the back as I passed him. "Exit's that way, sweetheart," he explained, pointing. Then I heard him mumble, "Crazy kid…"

I ignored all the rest of the shouts and the bangs until I got out of the haunted house - I was back. I was back home.

I looked down at myself to see that I was wearing the same exact thing. The ripped jeans and the plaid shirt. I looked fine. Had it not happened? Was it only a dream? Did I pass out in the haunted house and merely dream all that up?

But… it was so real…

"Daphne! You made it out!" a voice cried. It suddenly felt like I was being choked as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my neck. It was then that I realized I was staring down into the face of Shannon.

"Oh, my God! Shannon! It's you!" I cried, returning the hug.

"Oh, jeez! You got strong!" she cried, trying to pull herself free from me. "And what the heck, you're so cold!"

"I… I am?" I asked her in confusion. I touched Shannon's arm, her body radiating so much heat that I was worried why mine was so cold. And that was when I braced myself and reached for my chest.

I felt for the familiar heartbeat that would detonate from the center of my ribcage… but it wasn't there. There was no beat. There was nothing. I checked for a pulse, and it was exactly the same. Stone cold. Dead.

I looked up at Shannon, who was now dragging me down the amusement park beside her, babbling on about something I couldn't comprehend. I inhaled and smelled scents that were invigorating and stimulating. I could hear things that came from across the park. Every scent I picked up was magnified - perfumes, colognes, the scent of popcorn and funnel cake. Shannon herself smelled as delicious as a medium-rare steak, her heartbeat of life echoing in my ears. The sound of other heartbeats resonated around me…

It really did happen. It was all real. I was back here, and… I was still a vampire.

That was when a sort of explosion went on inside me. I was a vampire… in my own world. In my own world, I was a _vampire_… oh, my God!

"Oh, God… holy shit."

"What? What's wrong?" Shannon asked, hearing my wild cry of curses.

"Nothing, I'm… just… really excited, ya know?"

"Well, duh!"

I was still trapped in my thoughts as I thought about everything exciting I could do in my own world as a vampire, when I realized that I wasn't in Santa Carla anymore. I wouldn't talk to the Lost Boys, or Michael, or any of the others ever again.

And I had promised Michael. I had promised him that I would explain everything, tell him everything…

My stomach deflated inside me as anger, sadness, guilt, and heartache crept through me like a poisonous fluid. But even if it really did all happen… even if I had gone to Santa Carla… would everything still be okay? Would my journey there be from now on nonexistent? Could I go home and watch _The Lost Boys_ movie again, and see the exact same story that I had always known?

Maybe there was something special about that haunted house. Maybe if I went back into it again, somehow I'd be able to go through that bizarre portal that led me into Santa Carla.

But how in the world had I gotten back? David had pushed me off the cliff at Hudson's Bluff, and somehow I ended up back home. If I did happen to get back into Santa Carla, would jumping off the cliff be my only means of making it home again?

My thoughts were broken when I heard somebody else calling my name, and the voice was vaguely familiar.

"Daphne! Daphne!"

I looked up and behind and nearly died where I stood.

"Mi-Mi-_Michael_?" I cried as he approached me, grabbing me by the hand.

"What just happened?" he asked. "Where are we?" 

"Daphne, who's this?" Shannon interrupted, turning towards us as she exchanged a glance with me.

"Uh… Shannon, this is Michael, Michael this is-"

"Daphne!"

My head snapped up again, fearing the worst… and at this point, fear didn't sum anything up at all. My jaw fell open. "No way…"

"Where you been?" Paul cried, walking towards me with his arms out and greeting me with a grizzly bear of a hug. "I've been looking all over for you! And where the hell are we? I'm gonna beat the shit out of David! That son of a bitch. I don't know what the hell his problem was, but pushing you off that cliff? I saw you couldn't fly, and I knew something was wrong, so I went after you, and… if felt like I was being sucked in a fucking black-hole, man. I mean, it was sick, but…"

Paul kept babbling on to me like nothing was wrong, as if he was just another kid on dope, going on and on and on about something random that I couldn't understand.

"Oh, Jesus…" I squeaked, peeking over Paul's shoulder.

And they were all there. The rest of the Lost Boys, coming right towards me. They were here - in _our_ world. Somehow…

"Oh, my God…" I squeaked. "Oh, my God… how the hell did you-"

"Daphne, you mind telling us what the hell's going on?" David asked me menacingly. "Marko was right. You are a witch, or something-"

"You lay another finger on her man," Paul started, "and I'll-"

"You'll what, Paul?" David growled through gritted teeth.

Dwayne cocked an eyebrow as he watched the two of them exchange dirty looks with one another. "This is gonna be good," he told me with a grin.

"Um… Daphne? Who the hell are all these guys?" Shannon asked me, stepping away cautiously.

"Um, well… remember that one eighties vampire movie I had you watch this past summer?" I told her.

"Well hey, little lady!" Paul piped in suddenly, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around Shannon. "Daphne's my best pal, and I'm her big bro, Paul. Who're you?"

"Daphne, you mind telling us where we are?" Marko asked, appearing out of nowhere as he pushed past people to get to me.

"Daphne, we need to talk about _us_," Michael suddenly interrupted, grabbing me by both arms and trying to pull us away from the group.

I thought maybe my head was about ready to explode at this point, so I forced myself to remain calm and take this as it was… just take it as it was. As it is. The Lost boys have somehow entered our world. Michael was back, so now everything that needed to be explained could be explained. And if I really wanted to, I could mend things with David and try to become his friend. And I was somehow still a vampire…

So there was no need to stress, right? This might be fun. Might as well sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

But I should know better than to suggest that this ride, if anything, would be relaxing…

_The End_

**Gahh! And there's the end! I honestly can't believe that it's over, since it took me forever to write and figure out. I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing this story - it helped me so much with my writing, and the support from you guys really makes my heart swell several sizes. Thanks for helping me write a story I'm proud of, and thanks for reading it! I'm sorry about any grammatical or spelling mistakes that you might've come across - I really suck at proofreading my own work. As of now, I am completely satisifed with the ending, and if you are wondering... I have no clue what will happen next. Honestly, no idea whatsoever. And I don't really want to think about it either. That's another whole short story right there. But I hope you enjoyed the ending as much as I did writing it! Thank you so, so much! I love you guys! - Plainsong30**


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